The iPhone will switch to USB-C next year, but this is "just a stopgap"
Apple will convert its cable interface to USB-C in next year's iPhone 15 series, which Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman affirmed, writing: "The iPhone 15 is basically locked in to USB-C in the fall of 2023, a year earlier than the stipulated time." Since new EU law technically requires USB-C to be applied to new portable electronic devices that go on sale starting in the fall of 2024, Apple can squeeze out another year to use the Lightning interface.
But Gurman believes that Apple will not wait for the last possible moment, and the iPhone 14 series should be the last product in the family with a Lightning interface.
In fact, the analyst wrote that the base iPad, the last Apple tablet to use Lightning, will move to USB-C later this year, and then, the iPhone 15 line will do the same next year.
Of course, the iPad base isn't the only Apple device currently using the Lightning port, as are select peripherals like AirPods, Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad, which will also gradually transition to USB-C.
EU law specifically exempts devices that only support wireless charging — such as the Apple Watch. Gurman believes Apple's use of USB-C will be short-lived, and the company's ultimate goal is to be comprehensive and only use wireless charging technologies like MagSafe. Analysts predict that Lightning has been with us for a decade, but the USB-C iPhone won't last that long, and even the iPad is expected to ditch wired charging in the future.
Why is Apple so stubborn about using USB-C on the iPhone (which has been on iPads and Macs for years)? Gurman believes this is because Apple prefers to listen to its own ideas rather than being mandated by law. With the iPhone Pro now capable of taking 48-megapixel RAW photos, not to mention those 4K ProRes videos, Lightning's USB 2.0 speeds simply can't meet the need, and the development of faster interfaces and even high-speed wireless charging + communication technology is imminent.
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