LIGHTNING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE USB-C
iPhone Life Magazine|Winter 2023
FIVE REASONS WE'RE THRILLED & READY
CULLEN THOMAS
LIGHTNING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE USB-C

Apple has retired the decade-old Lightning cable from every product in its lineup. As our existing devices age out of use and we update to new devices with USB-C, we will finally recycle our tangled drawers of old Lightning cables, only to invest in a new collection of USB-C cables to tangle in our drawers. Despite this inconvenience, we’re excited to make the switch. Here are five reasons this change is welcome, plus one thing to bear in mind:

1) SPEED: USB-C CAN LEAVE LIGHTNING IN THE DUST

The maximum data transfer rate of a Lightning cable is 480 Mbps, or about one music CD in 25 seconds. The maximum data transfer rate of a USB-C cable is currently 40,000 Mbps (usually written as 40 Gbps, but I’m using the same units for the comparison). At that rate, you wouldn’t notice any transfer time for a music CD, it would happen before you could blink.

As startling as that difference may appear, we must moderate our expectations. A USB-C cable can be built to a few different specifications, and only the very fastest (USB 4/Thunderbolt 4) achieves that 40 Gbps transfer rate, and only in certain applications such as very fast solid-state hard drives. iPad Pro models offer USB 4/Thunderbolt 4, but the iPhone 15 Pro models use the older and slower USB 3 standard, which offers a potential transfer speed of 5,000 Mbps (5 Gbps). At that lower spec, a whole music CD’s worth of data should transfer to the 15 Pro in about one second. A regular iPhone 15 uses the USB 2 standard, which is similar to Lightning.

Denne historien er fra Winter 2023-utgaven av iPhone Life Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Winter 2023-utgaven av iPhone Life Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA IPHONE LIFE MAGAZINESe alt
LOCK YOUR APPLE ID WITH A PHYSICAL KEY
iPhone Life Magazine

LOCK YOUR APPLE ID WITH A PHYSICAL KEY

Security keys are physical items that can be used to verify your identity when logging into your Apple ID. If you are planning to use security keys, make sure you have at least two. Apple requires you use two, so that if you lose one, you will have another as a backup. At iPhone Life, a brand we recommend is the Yubico Yubikey 5Ci ($75).

time-read
1 min  |
Summer 2024
IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR APPLE WALLET!
iPhone Life Magazine

IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR APPLE WALLET!

Apple Wallet lets you virtually store your credit and debit cards, rewards cards, boarding passes, movie tickets, and more all in one secure place.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2024
END-OF-LIFE PLANNING
iPhone Life Magazine

END-OF-LIFE PLANNING

APPS & RESOURCES FOR PEACE OF MIND

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2024
PHOTO SHARING FACE-OFF: ICLOUD VS. GOOGLE PHOTOS
iPhone Life Magazine

PHOTO SHARING FACE-OFF: ICLOUD VS. GOOGLE PHOTOS

If there’s one thing that keeps me hooked on Google Photos, it’s sharing.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2024
MY PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
iPhone Life Magazine

MY PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY

TIPS, APPS & GEAR FROM A LIFELONG LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2024
SMART OUTDOOR LIVING
iPhone Life Magazine

SMART OUTDOOR LIVING

CREATING A HAVEN FOR YOUR FAVORITE POLLINATORS & PEOPLE

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2024
FROM ZERO TO GYM BRO
iPhone Life Magazine

FROM ZERO TO GYM BRO

GET FIT AT HOME WITH THE SPEEDIANCE GYM MONSTER

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2024
WHY I DITCHED MY APPLE WATCH FOR THE OURA RING
iPhone Life Magazine

WHY I DITCHED MY APPLE WATCH FOR THE OURA RING

Every morning for the past three months, I wake up wearing a shiny gold ring on my right pointer finger. If you look closely, you can see beams of red or green light leaking out the sides as it scans my heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. I roll out of bed, grab my phone, and open the Oura app.

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2024
THE BEST APPS OF 2024
iPhone Life Magazine

THE BEST APPS OF 2024

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by friends and family is “Which app should I download?” With millions of options out there, choosing which apps to use is a task that stumps many people. Will a free version overload you with ads? Is the paid version worth it?

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2024
OPINION: I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE WITH APPLE VISION PRO, AND IT SUCKS.
iPhone Life Magazine

OPINION: I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE WITH APPLE VISION PRO, AND IT SUCKS.

Color me a virtual-reality optimist. Alongside writing for iPhone Life, I’m a video game developer, 3D artist, and sci-fi author. I own a Meta Quest 3 and use it all the time to play games and view 3D models as I work.

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2024