After more than a decade of use, the new iPhone 15 will ditch the company’s proprietary Lightning connector in favor of a USB-C port. The long-rumored change comes ahead of a December 2024 European Union deadline to require all new phones sold in the region to ship with a USB-C connector for a charging port. this. For iPhone users, better late than never. Android phones have been charging via USB-C for the better part of a decade.
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Images of the iPhone 15 shown at its event on Tuesday show the USB-C connector appearing in the same slot as the Lightning on its front. Apple says the industry-favored cord enables charging, data transfer and audio playback. It’s also capable of USB 3 speeds, which Apple says are up to par. 20 times faster than USB 2.
Moments after the iPhone’s switch to USB-C was revealed, Apple doubled down and revealed that the new AirPods will also use USB-C charging. . In the future, users will also be able to charge their AirPods and Apple Watch devices by simply connecting them to their iPhones.
Why now?
The switch marks the end of an era for a type of connector that Apple first introduced in 2012. In the decade since, Apple has loaded Lightning into every incremental iPhone update and made an entire mini-business based on third-party licensing fees that They make accessories that use the connector.
The iPhone was one of the last major Apple products to jump on the trend towards USB-C in recent years. Since its introduction in 2014, USB-C has taken consumer electronics by storm and has quickly become the de facto standard, a name that has long been sought after. but never performed by other loading methods. Apple MacBooks, iPads, and Watch devices all adopted USB-C before the company’s flagship device, leading millions of Apple customers to fail to keep track of the two being the same. but completely incompatible connectors.
Many iPhone customers have been asking for a USB-C standard for years, a point that became painfully clear two years ago when a redesigned iPhone was introduced. The X equipped with a charging port sold at auction for $86,001. But there is some evidence to suggest that the switch to USB-C may even attract some new customers who were previously on the fence. About half (44%) of Android users surveyed in a recent SellCell survey said they would consider upgrading to an iPhone 15 if it introduced USB-C charging.
Apple’s decision to switch iPhones to USB-C is likely accelerated by the recently approved EU directive that USB-C ports will be mandatory for mobile phones, tablets, headphones, game consoles and other electronic devices in autumn 2024. As part of that standard, European customers also have the option to buy new devices with or without the charger. That standardization effort was made with the goal of reducing the growing amount of waste and reducing the number of annoying cables that consumers have to sort through. Overall, the European Parliament estimates that discarded or unused chargers are responsible for around 11,000 metric tons of electronic waste each year. And that’s just in Europe.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Apple without an important interoperability caveat to mention. Recent rumors suggest that iPhone users are looking to charge their devices in the shortest time and should buy a USB-C cable that has passed the company’s Mi-Fi certification. iPhone users can still use a USB-C charger from an Android user, but it won’t provide the best performance unless it gets Apple’s seal of approval.
The iPhone isn’t the only Apple device reportedly interested in USB-C, though. report earlier this year from a reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple may send a version of its second-generation AirPods Pro headphones with a USB-C case. Shipments may be split between the second and third quarter of 2024. Soon, Apple, the outsider, will be using USB-C.
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