Apple has for the primary time confirmed that it’s going to transfer the iPhone to USB-C, ditching Lightning. Whereas the corporate is not saying when that may occur, rumors already level to it happening subsequent yr with iPhone 15.
The affirmation got here throughout a dialog involving Apple VP of worldwide advertising Greg Joswiak in the course of the Wall Road Journal’s Tech Stay occasion. Various matters had been mentioned, nevertheless it’s the USB-C affirmation that’s maybe most notable for a few causes.
A uncommon admission
It is not typically that Apple confirms an iPhone function virtually a yr earlier than it’s introduced, however that is virtually what occurred in the course of the reside occasion yesterday. Talking in the course of the Wall Road Journal’s occasion, Joswiak confirmed that Apple will “must comply” with an EU mandate that ensures all private know-how makes use of a standard charger. That charger is USB-C, with the requirement kicking in from 2024 onwards for many merchandise — though some like laptops have a keep of execution.
The transfer to USB-C is already underway, after all. Apple already moved most iPad fashions to USB-C and its Tenth-gen iPad additionally went that means this month. The iPhone is not the one product Apple nonetheless must transition away from Lightning, although. AirPods, AirPods Professional, and AirPods Max all use Lightning connectors, for instance.
Rumors have already got Apple testing a USB-C iPhone for subsequent yr’s launch and the EU’s mandate isn’t surprising to anybody after years of rumblings. However the transfer away from Lightning is bound to upset a lot, particularly those who maintain the opinion that Apple often adjustments cables and connectors to eke more cash out of them.
For reference, Apple launched Lightning in 2012, changing the 30-pin connector that was used from the unique iPod days — a connector itself that was virtually 10 years previous earlier than it was discontinued.
