iPhone 15 to require certified accessories for full access to USB-C:
According to a rumor, Apple is resuming the Made For iPhone program despite moving from Lightning to USB-C on iPhone 15.
Apple requires third-party accessory makers to pay a fee to get certified access to select parts and technologies like the Lightning connector. This system is called the Made For iPhone program, and it was thought to be going away thanks to USB-C, but a repeated rumor says otherwise.
According to leaker ShrimpApplePro on Twitter, Apple will be requiring MFi certification for products connecting to the iPhone 15. This has been confirmed by the leaker's source, stating that Foxconn is in mass production of accessories like EarPods and cables with the certification.
The leaker does offer a bright side to the matter — some third-party MFi products are cheaper than Apple's official ones.
In the replies, Shrimp states that Apple will limit data and charging speed for cables connected to iPhone without the MFi certification. It seems this will be allowed, as Apple will be cooperating with the EU mandate to move to USB-C, just providing an obstacle to users.
While this might appear to be a consumer-hostile move from Apple, there are reasons the company might want a certification process. Obviously, Apple stands to make some money from charging for the certified parts and technology, but consumers will also have more confidence in buying products they know are guaranteed to work seamlessly with the iPhone.
Despite all of the praise USB-C gets for its universal connector, there are a lot of problems with it too. It is nearly impossible to tell what capabilities a cable might have just by looking at it, which could potentially damage a product if connected in an unexpected way.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by RedGreen on Wednesday March 01, @05:43AM
And just what moron was thinking that. Apple never gives up on the opportunity to fleece the flock....
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 4, Interesting) by pTamok on Wednesday March 01, @09:01AM (5 children)
As far as I'm aware, if a cable follows the USB standards, and the end devices do as well, there is minimal risk of damage.
The problem is the availability on the market of cables that are labelled as following the standards which don't. And end equipment that does the same. As you cannot trust that a random cable bought from an online marketplace will actually follow the standards, you end up having to follow 19th century practice and buy trusted brands. Apple are simply promoting trust in their brand. People used to trust Anker. Of course, the next thing that happens is that people start faking the brand - as happened with Apple chargers; and with Sandisk flash storage devices, so you end up needing to trust the seller as well. I have a lot of faith in IKEA and Walmart, who have reputations to protect, and physical shops/stores and sufficient resources to do QA testing.
Don't blame USB standards for the results of people wanting to make a fast buck.
(Score: 4, Informative) by GloomMower on Wednesday March 01, @01:30PM
> Apple are simply ~promoting~/forcing trust in their brand.
All the issues with bad cables can be solved by the USB devices having over current protection and detecting voltage drop over the cable.
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Wednesday March 01, @08:00PM (2 children)
> As far as I'm aware, if a cable follows the USB standards, and the end devices do as well, there is minimal risk of damage.
That's the problem. Even when you follow the standards, those "standards" are basically a ginormous bingo card of features and capabilities. It's the computer connector equivalent of the "It goes in the square hole!" meme. And that's even without discussing substandard knock-off designs and production quality issues that are rife in the USB space.
Yes, I absolutely DO blame the USB standards for this mess, and it's absurd to tell people they shouldn't. It was the USB-IF that decided USB-C needed to be an active connector. It was the USB-IF that made the "standard" so sloppy that any manufacturer could legally call their cable USB-C when it's barely adequate to tie two sticks together, let alone be an interconnect between different devices.
The USB-IF shit the bed so hard that it aerosolized right through the mattress. (Some) Vendors are putting out quality cables and devices _despite_ the standards, not because of them, and it's disingenuous to claim otherwise. If USB-IF did their job, Apple wouldn't have the wiggle-room to do stuff like this. I mean, they probably would anyway, but the justification for it would be far more obviously self-serving. But as things stand, it makes sense because the average consumer _cannot trust USB-C_.
(Score: 2) by GloomMower on Thursday March 02, @04:26AM (1 child)
Wasn't apple in on the design of usb c?
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Thursday March 02, @03:16PM
According to their membership list, Apple is indeed in there. $DEITY knows what happened internally though. Historically, Apple has always erred on the side of higher quality, more comprehensive buses (eg: SCSI, firewire, thunderbolt), so I seriously doubt they would have voted in favour of the current shitshow.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by driverless on Thursday March 02, @07:55AM
In any case it's not Apple protecting you from damage, it's Apple protecting you from not giving money to Apple. It's a tough job, so kudos to Apple for taking on the challenge, I'm sure no-one else would do it if they didn't.