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Future of USB-C and Lightning Connectors

March 26, 2019

What’s the difference between USB-C and Lightning? If you are an Apple user, you are very familiar with the Lightning connector. The original Apple connection was a 30 pin wide monster that had a top and bottom orientation. Apple changed that in 2012 when it introduced the Lightning connector, which is significantly smaller and doesn’t have a directional orientation. It can be inserted either way. There are 8 pins in a Lightning connection, which limits its capabilities. Apple controls the specification for the Lightning connection and keeps tight control of the manufacturing and usage. In fact, there is a special chip in the connection to cut down on “knock off” production. Manufacturers must license the Lightning spec if they expect to build a connector that will work with Apple devices.

USB-C on the other hand is a standard. Manufacturers are not held hostage and are free to build devices that conform to the specifications. Like Lightning, the USB-C connection is reversible. There are 24 pins in a USB-C connection, which can be used for video, audio, data transfer and charging. Transfer speeds can approach 10 Gbit/s. It looks like USB-C is the connector of the future and even Apple is rumored to be moving in that direction too.

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