APPLE is expected to swap out the Lightning port on this year’s iPhone 15 for a new connector.
The new gadget – expected to launch in just days – will no longer accept older iPhone cables.
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Apple is set to host a major event on September 12 that will very likely host the reveal of the iPhone 15.
One of the biggest changes is expected to be the addition of a USB-C port on the bottom of the four new models.
Apple has already confirmed that a switch to USB-C is in the works.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal last year, Apple marketing boss Greg Joswiak said: “Obviously we’ll have to comply. We have no choice.”
Joswiak was speaking about an EU law that was approved last year that required all new phones, tablets and electronic devices to feature USB-C charging ports.
“By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops,” the European Parliament said.
“Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they purchase a new device, as they will be able to use one single charger for a whole range of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices.”
C-ing is believing
USB-C launched back in 2014, and is now a widely popular type of cable for charging and data transfer.
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It looks similar to an iPhone Lightning connector, but is thicker and wider.
Lightning ports are exclusive to Apple devices, but USB-C are now very common.
Most new flagship Android phones feature USB-C ports.
And Apple has also switched to USB-C on a number of its other products, including several MacBook and iPad models.
The charging adapter end of the iPhone charging cable also changed to USB-C with the iPhone 11 – but the phone port remained Lightning.
Speaking last year, CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood said: “It is now inevitable that Apple will have to capitulate and transition to USB-C on the iPhone 15 when it arrives in 2023.
“This is a victory for common sense. Although Apple has a huge installed base of lighting cable powered devices, the ubiquity of USB-C across all consumer electronics products means that harmonising on USB-C makes perfect sense.”
The new iPhone 15 will almost certainly ship with a USB-C cable in the box.
But the switch means that current iPhone cables will be useless with the new model without an adapter.
It means fans will need to buy new spare leads or adapters if they upgrade their handset.
It would also mean replacing any Lightning connector accessory, or buying an adapter.
Switching again
Apple’s next cable is set to be its third in just over 15 years.
Early iPhones used a large 30-pin dock connector.
But this port was abandoned in 2012 when Apple switched to Lightning.
Although Apple has adopted USB-C on several gadgets, the company has previously spoken out about lawmakers forcing tech companies to make the switch.
“Regulations that would drive conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones freeze innovation rather than encourage it,” Apple’s Claire Darmon told the EU in 2019.
“Such proposals are bad for the environment and unnecessarily disruptive for customers.
