Even as iPads, Macs, and virtually each piece of high-end client tech not manufactured by Apple have made the change to USB-C, iPhones have caught to Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector; the introduction of MagSafe wi-fi charging within the iPhone 12 led to widespread hypothesis that Apple would sooner drop ports fully than make an iPhone with USB-C. Now, although, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says a USB-C iPhone is on the horizon — and it might come as quickly as subsequent 12 months.
Kuo says he now expects an iPhone with USB-C to be launched within the second half of 2023. Based on the corporate’s historical past, it is protected to imagine the iPhone 14 is coming this fall — which might imply that, if Kuo is correct, the iPhone 15 will lastly ditch Lightning in favor of the now-ubiquitous USB-C. Kuo factors out that this may not solely be a boon for customers — a transfer to USB-C might result in higher charging and knowledge switch speeds — but in addition for the businesses presently supplying Apple with USB-C elements for its different merchandise.
A transition to USB-C might alienate longtime iPhone customers, nevertheless it might additionally lure in some customers who historically have not purchased iPhones; having to get all new chargers for a brand new telephone is not an insignificant barrier to entry, particularly when your previous chargers additionally work together with your pill, your laptop computer, your headphones, your e-reader, and your gaming equipment.
Kuo does not get into many specifics, and it is doable the prediction will not come true. While Apple has confronted regulatory strain from the European Union over its proprietary telephone chargers in current months, an EU spokesperson confirmed that eradicating ports altogether would circumvent proposed charger standardization laws. The first Android telephones with USB-C began showing in 2015, only a 12 months after the port’s introduction.
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