iPad miniPhoto: Caitlin McGarry / Gizmodo
I am filled with tears and I can’t help myself. Why the emotion? After years of persistent use of the Lightning connector on the iPhone, a new leak says Apple will move to USB-C next year.
I would usually be quite skeptical about such a statement, but it comes from one of Apple’s most reliable analysts, Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), who has impressive experience when it comes to forecasting upcoming releases and features. He tweeted, citing an unspecified study that the iPhone, which arrives in the second half of 2023 – probably the iPhone 15 – will discard the Lightning USB-C connector, a change that could improve transfer and charging speeds. However, he noted that “the final details of the specification still depend on iOS support.”
Before giving too much credit to Apple, the company is currently backed in the corner by the EU’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, which voted last month in support of legislation that will force companies to adopt USB-C for all small and medium size widgets. The rule aims to simplify things for customers and reduce e-waste.
Earlier, Kuo said that Apple does not intend to replace Lightning connectors with USB-C, although the company uses the wrong standard for its iPad and Mac tablets. “We believe that USB-C is detrimental to the profitability of MFi’s business and its waterproof specification is lower than Lightning and MagSafe,” Kuo wrote.
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Apple was expected to miss the USB-C phase and move from a Lightning connector to a completely unsportsmanlike phone that relies on wireless charging. In this way, it can expand its MagSafe accessories, generating revenue while making your phone even more waterproof. However, Kuo noted that MagSafe’s ecosystem is not ready for prime time and that Apple will continue to use Lightning “for the foreseeable future.”
Apple can still shut down ports altogether; if this happens, there may be an awkward transition phase in which iPhone owners will have to change their Lightning chargers to USB-C, the port found on almost every modern gadget except the iPhone.
Not everyone will support this change, and those who have hidden Lightning cables over the years will understandably be outraged. If it’s any consolation, iPhone owners who have invested in Apple’s ecosystem probably already have a USB-C cable.
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