A USB-C iPhone may have once been impossible, but the latest rumors suggest it’s actually coming sooner than you might think. Amid regulatory hurdles and Lightning connector limitations, the first USB-C iPhone could be released as early as 2023. See below for the latest details on what they’re all about. we know so far.
Regulatory pressure
There are a number of reasons why Apple seems to have moved away from releasing USB-C iPhones. One thing that is hard to ignore, however, is that worldwide legislation still exists.
After many years of going back and forth, the European Union has officially reached an agreement on the “common charging port” standard. Starting in 2024, all smartphones sold in the EU’s 27 countries will have to use USB-C for charging. This includes iPhones and even peripheral accessories like AirPods.
Just weeks after the EU passed its legislation, lawmakers in the US voiced their support. Many called for the United States to adopt something similar. Senator Elizabeth Warren has continued this call in a post on Twitter today, say:
Consumers don’t have to constantly buy new chargers for different devices. We can work things out with unified standards — for less cost, less hassle, and less waste.
Apple has resisted the law that mandates the use of USB-C iPhones. The company argues that such laws stifle innovation and actually lead to more environmental waste.
Will Apple release a USB-C iPhone?
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first predicted in 2019 that Apple would release a portless iPhone in 2021, but that didn’t come true. It’s easy to see why: wireless technologies simply aren’t reliable enough or powerful enough to completely replace a connector like Lightning or USB-C. Charging speeds aren’t fast, data transfers are slow and unreliable, and consumer acceptance isn’t there yet.
A portless iPhone is still in the works and is being tested internally at Apple, but we wouldn’t expect it to hit the public this year or next.
Lightning connectors are also starting to age. When it was first announced in 2012 alongside the iPhone 5, Apple’s Phil Schiller touted it as the “modern connector for the next decade”. It’s been a decade since that announcement, and it’s clear that Lightning is lagging behind USB-C in things like charging speeds and data transfer speeds.
Apple is rumored to be increasing data transfer speeds from Lightning to USB 3.0 starting with the iPhone 14 Pro this fall, but USB-C still leads.
So that leads us to where we are today. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in May that the iPhone 15, coming in 2023, will have a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. This report was eventually corroborated by BloombergThe company also said that the iPhone 15 could switch to a USB-C port next year.
An iPhone with USB-C is sure to make many consumers happy, especially those who already own an iPad or Mac that also uses USB-C. That said, given the sheer number of iPhone users, Apple is sure to face criticism for changing the iPhone’s charging connector – even if the move to USB-C is ultimately decisive. correct determination.
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