USB-C charging to older iPhones: Apple expanding compatibility?
Delhi : Apple should release a new iPhone in September if its routine holds true. The iPhone 15 will likely be the company's first iPhone to support USB-C charging. Additionally, while online rumors and reports provide convincing proof that the iPhone 15 will do away with the Lightning connection, recent information suggests that subsequent iPhone models may follow suit.
Six upcoming iPhone models were found in the tvOS 17 beta code, according to a post by X (previously Twitter) user @aaronp613. Two iPhone models, most likely the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, belong to the iPhone 14 models even though four model numbers belong to iPhone 15 variants.
After the arrival of the iPhone 15 and its variations, Apple is anticipated to stop manufacturing the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max. After a new iPhone is introduced, Apple often stops officially producing and distributing the Pro versions from the prior generation in order to prevent sales of the new iPhone from being hampered.
If Apple does make iPhone 14 versions available with USB-C charging, it will be the first time the company has altered the charging port of a product that has already been made available to the public. With the launching of the iPhone 5 in 2012, Apple introduced the Lightning connector. With the release of the iPad Pro in 2018, Apple started experimenting with USB-C charging. Apple wanted to test the waters with customers even though they were aware that time was running out for the Lightning cable. Since that time, all iPad versions have been powered via USB-C, but the iPad is the only Apple product to do so.
An innovative business move was Apple's adoption of the Lightning cable for all of the company's mobile devices. Users could effectively charge their Apple devices with a charger made only by Apple by using the Lightning wire. Customers are frequently forced to use Apple's $17 Lightning cable because third-party cables sometimes malfunction.
But the European Union (EU) has been seeking to establish laws mandating that all consumer electronic gadgets use the same charging port: USB-C, for the last ten years. The regulation was finally passed late last year, and all tech firms must comply by 2024 to avoid being expelled from the EU. A $3 trillion firm isn't kept afloat by a $17 cord, though. The Lightning cable lets Apple maintain control over its walled garden, exclusive ecosystem, and its interest in Lightning cable licensing contracts.
It would be against to Apple's business philosophy to cede this authority to a universal cable. Nevertheless, following the law is vital everywhere, not only in Europe. California, the state where Apple is headquartered, enacted a law requiring USB-C charging for all consumer electronics by 2026 earlier this year.
Additionally, there are rumors that Apple may soon release an AirPods Pro case with a USB-C charging port in place of a Lightning port, indicating that the company is gradually getting rid of a crucial design element. Customers might have weird feelings when switching between charging ports because Apple's decision to eliminate the headphone jack is still a source of controversy. However, customers continued to purchase the iPhone 7 despite that.
Before the Lightning port and cable became a thing of the past in terms of technology, Apple still has a long way to go. Even if most headphones, smartphones, and other non-Apple gadgets support USB-C charging, Apple customers dislike it when their exclusivity with Apple is in danger.
