Posts from The Verge go from the brilliant to the absurd, but one call to arms is perfect for the new year. Vlad Savov has declared his independence from MicroUSB and I wish we could all do the same.

USB-C connectors are sturdier than MicroUSB, they’re now more common among the very latest tech, and they’re only going to increase in prevalence and importance as time goes on. My way of simplifying my life in 2018 will be to just embrace and demand USB-C. I’m ready to let the old MicroUSB standard go, and I suggest you do the same – Vlad Savov, My new year’s resolution: no more MicroUSB

Thankfully it is only headphones that are the sticking point to make the Apple eco system free from of this elderly port, but I can’t work out why.

Beats Studio And Solo

I really thought we had made a leap forward with the Beats line. Since being purchased by Apple they held onto MicroUSB for a while but then the BeatsX arrived with Lightning and all was right with the world. Granted this wasn’t USB-C but it was a dam site better than a connector from 2007.

However the PowerBeats3, Beats Solo 3 and brand new Beats Studio 3 that followed are still equipped with MicroUSB. Perhaps Apple are reluctant to put Lightning into every Beats headphone, but there is absolutely no reason to still be using a Micro USB port on £300+ headphone released in 2017. This is especially true when considering the early push into USB-C with the MacBook Pro.

It’s arguable that we are taking about Beats Headphones and not Apple. It is unknown how much of a free entity the company really is, but given Apples ownership and advertising push they can be considered first party accessories. A whole load of accessories which Apple seem to be lacking courage with and need to push forward so we can do the same as Vlad. Down with MicroUSB!