The iPhone 15 might get rid of Lightning
One of the most in-demand features of the iPhone 14 is Apple ditching its dedicated Lightning port in favor of the industry-standard USB-C (although Lightning certainly has its fans, too). And this demand may not be as exaggerated as we have previously heard.
the famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which often makes accurate predictions regarding Apple, has claimed that the iPhone 15 might make the move from Lightning to USB-C, which would be a historic change in Apple’s habits. The brand has so far stuck with its own ports rather than conforming to what everyone else does.
This would make the iPhone 14 the last Apple smartphone to use Lightning (unless the iPhone SE 4 gets it, though for reasons we’ll get to, that might be unlikely).
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My latest survey indicates that 2H23 new iPhone will abandon Lightning port and switch to USB-C port. USB-C might improve iPhone’s transfer and charging speed in hardware designs, but the final spec details still depend on iOS support.— Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo) May 11, 2022
The advantage of USB-C is that it allows faster charging and data transfer; plus, because it’s the industry standard, it means you can use the same charger for all your devices, saving electronic waste. Apple already supports USB-C for some devices, including most iPads, but not iPhones.
Apple has latched on to Lightning for a number of reasons, though many critics suggest it’s because, as a proprietary connector, Apple makes a lot of money by encouraging people to buy their own cables.
Various regulatory bodies around the world, including the EU, have been pushing Apple to adopt USB-C, in order to prevent e-waste and end the company’s anti-competitive stance when it comes to accessories. , but many insiders have suggested that Apple will take another path.
ANALYSIS: SO WILL IT BE PORTLESS?
Many insiders have suggested that Apple will go portless instead of adopting USB-C, meaning that it will make its smartphones dependent on wireless power and data transfer, a possibility that its magnetic MagSafe accessories make much more likely.
In fact, we had already heard that Apple was adamantly opposed to an iPhone with USB-C. This is something Kuo himself stated before, and we’ve also heard it from other big names in the “Apple leak” like Jon Prosser.
So Kuo’s new analysis is rather confusing, as it goes once morest conventional thinking for Apple’s iPhones. However, it is a move that will please as many fans as it annoys.
It was said that Apple would launch directly to make an iPhone without a port, but in reality we have been hearing that for years, since at least the iPhone 12 and it has not happened yet.
Maybe Apple realized that we’re not in a wire-free world yet, and it can’t postpone the end of the Lightning storm forever. Or perhaps pressure from the EU made a non-USB-C smartphone of any kind, even one without a Lightning port, seem too risky.