The iPhone could finally switch to USB-C in 2023, only eight years after Android
Even as iPads, Macs, and practically every piece of high-end consumer tech not manufactured by Apple have made the switch to USB-C, iPhones have stuck to Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector; the introduction of MagSafe wireless charging in the iPhone 12 led to widespread speculation that Apple would sooner drop ports entirely than make an iPhone with USB-C. Now, though, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says a USB-C iPhone is on the horizon — and it could come as soon as next year.
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A transition to USB-C could alienate longtime iPhone users, but it could also lure in some shoppers who traditionally haven’t bought iPhones; having to get all new charging cables for a new phone isn’t an insignificant barrier to entry, especially when your old cables also work with your tablet, your laptop, your headphones, your e-reader, and your gaming accessories.
Kuo doesn’t get into many specifics, and it’s possible the prediction won’t come true. While Apple hasfaced regulatory pressure from the European Unionover its proprietary phone chargers in recent months, an EU spokesperson confirmed that removing ports altogether would circumvent proposed charger standardization legislation. The first Android phones with USB-C started appearing in 2015, just a year after the port’s introduction.
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