malachi constant
Senior Member
- Location
- Minneapolis
We (consulting engineers) are increasingly being asked to specify USB outlets in common area spaces - lobbies, libraries, etc. No problem, right?
Something struck me today though. I rented a car a few months ago and as it had integral USB ports I left my car charging adapter at home. Unfortunately I found that USBs in "older model" cars (like, a couple years old) aren't always compatible when it comes to charging your iPhone. So pretty soon I had to pull over and by a charging adapter. I looked it up when I got home and found out this is a thing - newer phones don't always charge on older car USBs.
That made me think, are our clients going to be swapping out USB outlets in their lobbies every five years (seven years? two years?) because new phones aren't backwards compatible with older USBs? I've never had the problem on a computer or wall charging USB outlet. It seems like such a ubiquitous standard - I would be surprised if it wasn't still working in five years.
It is probably a good use of money to put in the USB outlets now, even with a decent chance of having to replace them en masse in 5+ years. They aren't that expensive or difficult to swap out. But thought I would pose the question to this community and see what you guys think. Thanks!
Something struck me today though. I rented a car a few months ago and as it had integral USB ports I left my car charging adapter at home. Unfortunately I found that USBs in "older model" cars (like, a couple years old) aren't always compatible when it comes to charging your iPhone. So pretty soon I had to pull over and by a charging adapter. I looked it up when I got home and found out this is a thing - newer phones don't always charge on older car USBs.
That made me think, are our clients going to be swapping out USB outlets in their lobbies every five years (seven years? two years?) because new phones aren't backwards compatible with older USBs? I've never had the problem on a computer or wall charging USB outlet. It seems like such a ubiquitous standard - I would be surprised if it wasn't still working in five years.
It is probably a good use of money to put in the USB outlets now, even with a decent chance of having to replace them en masse in 5+ years. They aren't that expensive or difficult to swap out. But thought I would pose the question to this community and see what you guys think. Thanks!