Apple's new Lightning connector, the cable that'll be replacing the traditional 30-pin iPod cord, has a surprise: it's USB 2.0.
This USB 2.0 cable connects your iPhone or iPod with Lightning connector to your computer's USB port for syncing and charging or to the Apple USB Power Adapter for convenient charging from a wall outlet.Even MacBooks have USB 3.0. iMacs and Mac minis don't, but they shouldn't be a problem since the technology is backwards compatible. The new MacBook Air and Pro from this year both support the latest interface, yet Apple has decided to go without the traditional USB 2.0 connection, probably since it's more compatible overall and not confusing to users. It's surprising that they didn't go with Thunderbolt, and they probably would have if it weren't for the fact that there are so few machines that have it. Windows computers don't use Thunderbolt like Macs do because manufacturers haven't seen a reason to integrate it. That makes sense; it's a young technology and few devices need it anyway.
Regardless of Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 should have been used for the Lightning cable. Even if older computers couldn't use it, Apple could force people to upgrade their peripheral support. That would be too complex for the minimal corporation, however. So, instead it decided to go with the traditional USB 2.0, which has a maximum transfer rate of 480 Mbps. It's not slow, just outdated. Apple could have offered two cables, one USB 2.0 and the other 3.0, but again, that would be too complex. Until there's an improvement over the previous cable's transfer speed, it'd be a good idea not to name the cable "Lightning".