The EU is enforcing USB-C on portable devices

[tom66]

Just to butt in, anyone using the a lovely Android and who can't be faffed with cables could do worse than install WiFi File Transfer from the Play store. Super easy and quick just point a browser at your phone and do the biz like that.

I guess I should point out that as a long-time iPhone user, when I *do* need to do some local transfer (vs cloud), I typically do so over Wifi. I bought iMazing which is far more useful than iTunes for things like that. Between using iMazing to backup or transfer media, and using Calibre Companion over WiFi to transfer eBooks, I rarely have a need for USB transfer.

Even my iPhone XR from 2018 can do 500Mbit/s over 802.11ac Wi-Fi, maxing out my home broadband connection, despite the router being about 10m away from my phone.  I would guess the newer generations can use even faster link rates, so theoretically you could outperform the USB2 interface using a direct Wi-Fi link.

Kinda wild what modern RF tech can do.

[Veteran68]

Exactly, I have Wifi 6 throughout the house and recent iPhones (since at least my current 12 model) are as fast as a wired connection (well, not my 10G wired stuff, but everything else).

Which is why I'm ambivalent about USB 3 support, but I am excited about USB-C. My iPad Pro, MacBooks, and most every other recent USB device is USB-C. Only my iPhones and AirPods Pro are not. Speaking of the latter, I'm hoping they'll offer the USB-C AirPods Pro case by itself, since mine are gen 2 and not even a year old. That or I'll just start wirelessly charging them. But I have a nice little bedside charging stand that charges my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously but depends on a Lightning interface for the AirPods. Maybe I'll get an adapter.

[bd139]

The USB-C airpods Pro appear to be a different and incompatible version to the Lightning ones. So not case.

[Veteran68]

The USB-C airpods Pro appear to be a different and incompatible version to the Lightning ones. So not case.

My initial understanding was the AirPods themselves were unchanged from the Pro 2 and only the case was different. In fact Apple announced that the new features for this new set would also be applied to existing Pro 2’s through a firmware update on release.

I have since read that they improved the IP rating for dust ingress and they will offer lossless audio for Apple Vision, but that would seem to have no bearing on the case itself. AFAIK the only interface between case and AirPods is the charging interface which I’d be surprised if it changed.

At any rate, knowing Apple they wouldn’t offer a case-only upgrade. However it will be interesting to find out if the case is physically compatible with existing Pro 2’s. Then be on the lookout for eBay sales of USB-C cases from users who broke or lost their AirPods.