Why Apple against a standard Micro-USB

In 2009, the European Union urged the 10 largest producers of mobile technology to give up its own standards of connectors for connecting the charger and adopt a single standard Micro-USB Type B. In general, this positive effect as the cost of people when buying new phones, for now, just cables and chargers guaranteed to fit new devices as well as on the environment, since it is now much less thrown out like cables, chargers. Use Micro-USB, it was decided in virtually all types of devices, ranging from mobile phones and smartphones, and ending with tablets and electronic reader.

However, Apple adopted a proposal for a tricky, agreeing only on the release of adapters, but while maintaining its own connector. It would seem that you can go to a common standard in the development of next-generation devices, but the iPhone 5 output proprietary Lightning connector has made it clear that Apple think about common standards and Micro-USB in particular. The fact there are reasons.

Extended capabilities

It is well known that Apple has its own connector allows you not only to charge and sync your device. For example, there is a function iPod Out, with which the device can be connected as a player to other devices that support this feature. You can also display screen iPhone, iPad and iPod on the screen via HDMI and the corresponding adapter.

You could use two separate port on a mobile device, but who now will be on it? Manufacturers are actively fighting for the right to call their product the most thin / lightweight / compact. To sacrifice for the sake of the size of the second connector? Not in this life.

There is an option to go to the MHL standard, but users know Samsung Galaxy 3, the standard has not yet been standardized.

Quality control

The chip embedded in the Lightning cable, still causes extensive discussions. Despite the fact that many consider it the only purpose the opportunity to connect the connector by any party, there are those who still believe that the chip performs some function security. Either way, the Chinese already have broken chip and active flood the market with cheap over the Lightning brand counterparts, but, as the practiceSuch cables may not work quite the way you expect.

The issue here is not only in chips. It is also important quality of materials and cable components. One of Google employees Ken Shiriff tried to dig into the guts of the corporate and third-party cable, and the results are not comforting. Chinese crafts create much more electrical noise, are significantly inferior insulation performance and may be potentially dangerous when charging device for both the smart phone and for the user.

Total

Yes, Apple branded cables quality and so on, but they are not worth $ 19. On the other hand, use the unpredictable Chinese crafts, albeit cheap, quite risky. Yes, USB chips and no cable protrudes just a bunch of wires, but the Lightning in the more and more difficult, and the consequences of the assembly of the curve can be. Users just need to select.

Finally I want to return to standardization. Rare person does not recognize that the Lightning - a breakthrough in the field of connectors. It's convenient, it's practical. But standardization commissions would be worth little to learn from Apple and make a USB at least not inferior in usability Lightning. In the end, this USB-garbage with sharp metal parts sometimes scratches the body of the smartphone and forces the user to pretend to be a neurosurgeon when connecting the cable to the device.

Apple goes ahead, though not such steps as before, but go. They perfectly understood that they bind themselves by these standards, the ability to create in the future revolutionary connectors (and not only) will be immediately lost. Why should they?