Reports from both Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg last week say Apple may switch the iPhone from Lightning to USB-C for charging next year. Kuo now doubles that claim and says Apple will transfer its other Lightning products, including AirPods, to USB-C in a similar timeline.
USB-C AirPods, iPhone and others
As for the reasons why Apple finally released the USB-C iPhone, Kuo explains that the company’s initial goal of switching completely without ports may have proved too ambitious. Kuo and other sources initially said that Apple is aiming to launch an iPhone without a charging port in 2021, and while it is still testing such a product, it is unlikely that it will be released soon.
Kuo explained today that an iPhone without a port would “cause more problems due to current limitations of wireless technology and the immature MagSafe ecosystem.”
Along with the launch of the USB-C iPhone, Kuo announced today that Apple will release new USB-C versions of its other products, which are currently being charged via Lightning. This will include AirPods, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse accessories for Mac and MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone.
“Other Lightning port products (such as AirPods, Magic Keyboard / Trackpad / Mouse, MagSafe Battery) will also switch to USB-C in the foreseeable future,” explains Kuo.
9to5Mac’s Take
In fact, what Kuo is announcing today is that Apple will slowly but surely begin the process of releasing the Lightning connector on all of its products and accessories. When Apple’s vice president, Phil Schiller, first introduced the Lightning connector in September 2012, he explained that Lightning would be Apple’s standard for charging “for the next decade.”
One possibility I wouldn’t rule out is that some Apple accessories actually switch to USB-C before the iPhone. This will help encourage more people to buy USB’C charging cables and bricks before the iPhone switches to 2022.
What do you think of Apple’s plans to introduce USB-C in the iPhone and other products like AirPods? Let us know in the comments!
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