FP Staff Oct 10, 2022 10:52:48 IST
Thanks to recently passed legislation in the European Union that requires all mobile phones, cameras, laptops and other peripherals to come with a USB Type-C port, Apple could soon ditch the Lightning cable in favor of a USB port -C.
Apple will bring the USB-C port to the iPhone earlier than expected. Image credit: AP
Apple already has a couple of devices with USB-C ports as opposed to Lightning, but they’ve been very limited in number. However, if Apple analyst Mark Gurman’s most recent report is anything to go by, almost every Apple device will start to have a USB-C port.
The European Union has allowed all technology companies a period of two years, i.e. until the fall of 2024, to implement the new policy and prepare their devices for USB-C. However, Gruman believes there are many reasons why Apple will be able to comply with this new requirement well before the deadline.
Apple will apparently bring USB-C to next-gen AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods in 2024, while Mac accessories including the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad could switch to USB-C as soon as the next year .
Apparently, Apple has already started testing USB-C charging on its iPhones. However, we shouldn’t expect them to hit devices until 2023 at the earliest. Apple is likely to add a USB-C charging port to the iPhone 15, as well as the entry-level iPad that expected to launch later this year.
Apple’s long-term plan is to go completely portless. It will soon ditch all physical/wired charging ports. Image credit: Unsplash
However, Apple won’t stick with the universal charging standard for long. Apple has a long-term goal of going completely portless. It started with the headphone jack, and this year, it was the SIM tray or SIM slot that got the boot. Yes, in most countries we see the SIM tray slot present on the iPhone 14 series, but in the US and Canada, Apple insists that users get an e-SIM for their phones.
Similarly, Apple will soon try to get rid of physical charging ports altogether and move to other wireless charging technologies for the iPhone and iPad sometime in the next few years. This would be a blatant way of getting around the new EU legislation, as the rules proposed by the legislation do not apply to devices that do not support wired charging.