The iPhone 15s officially marks Apple’s transition from proprietary Lightning to universal USB-C. It is to the European Union that we owe this small revolution, which will impose this novelty on the manufacturer from 2024. If the latter’s plans in this area are still unclear, some rumors have already surfaced that allow us to see more clearly. A brief overview of everything we know about the subject.
Apple has always tried to differentiate itself from its competitors. For this, the manufacturer uses in particular own operating systems, which can only be found on its devices. Recently he even started designing its own chips, making it even more independent in the market. Finally, of course, there is the unfortunate point of this whole strategy: the Lightning port.
The Lightning port has been debated among users for years. It must be said that Apple has so far been careful not to conform to the rest of the market, whether it’s moving to micro-USB or to USB-C. But this isolation is now coming to an end. The thing was indeed made official at the end of last year: the iPhone 15 finally drops the Lightning port and comes equipped with a USB-C port.
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Why is the iPhone 15 switching to USB-C?
To understand where this change is coming from, we have to go back a bit, to 2021 to be exact. It was that year that the European Commission really started taking steps that would lead to it imposing on Apple the use of the USB-C port. Or Europe’s fight for the universal charger is not newso it’s in 2021 that things have shifted up a gear.
It will take until June 2022 for the measure to be officially adopted by MEPs. A few months later, it is Parliament’s turn to bring the debates to a final conclusion. Since then it’s official: Apple has no choice but to comply with the new regulations. All that remains is to set a deadline. This will be none other than December 28, 2024, the date by which all Apple devices must be equipped with a USB-C port.
As a reminder, the reasons put forward by the European Commission are not just a practical matter. The authorities also believe that this transition will make it possible reduce electronic waste, giving users the option of having just one charger for all their devices. As such, several countries have already announced their joining the movement, including United States, India or South Korea.
Which iPhone 15 models have a USB-C port?
If the legislation gives Apple more than a year to move to USB-C, the manufacturer has already confirmed that the iPhone 15 will be equipped with it this year. In theory, these are all models of the future smartphone that will benefit from this new connection – and who will say goodbye to the Lightning port along the way.
In practice, however, we should expect some nuances. The manufacturer could indeed integrate different ports to his iPhone 15. For example, a rumor claims that the Pro models will benefit from faster connectivity than their standard counterparts.
Specifically, according to the highly reliable Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will be equipped with the generation USB3.2capable of achieving a transfer rate of up to 40 GB/sin addition to being able to connect to external 4K 120 Hz displays, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, on the other hand, will be limited to the standard USB2.0much slower than his sister, because he only has the 480Mbps transfer speed.
Is Apple planning to circumvent European regulations on USB-C?
Of course, Apple doesn’t intend to let go so easily. If the manufacturer is certainly forced to bow to USB-C’s omnipotence, it still has ways to favor its own products over the competition’s. Play along MFi certificationor Made for iPhone.
This certification can be seen as a kind of label assigned by Apple on Lightning cables, guaranteeing the quality of the latter for users. This allows you to buy a cable with peace of mind, without having to worry about the damage it can cause to your iPhone. However, according to a rumor coming straight out of China, Apple could simply curb the performance of non-MFi cables.
All of this is still in the rumor stage, so it should be approached with caution. However, if this turns out to be correct, Apple has a good way to encourage its users to prefer its own productscertainly more expensive, to ensure the best possible performance.
Could the iPhone 15s do without a charging port at all?
There is one more possibility that we have not yet mentioned: that of all wireless. What if Apple simply decided to remove all ports from its iPhone 15? This may sound crazy, but it’s far from science fiction. European regulations prescribe that Apple must equip its devices with a USB-C port. B. Wireless charging eliminates the need for any port, regardless of type.
Especially since Apple has already shown interest in this technology from the iPhone 12, which was compatible with the MagSafe wireless charger for the first time. If this process has shown little improvement in subsequent years, it is clear that the manufacturer has already put a foot in the dish. So not the latter only on a provocation to decide to do without the port altogether.
So the possibility does exist, but it is better not to hope that it becomes a reality for the iPhone 15. Apple now seems determined to integrate a USB-C port in its next smartphone and theTime seems a little short to offer a really compelling wireless charging technology. The future, on the other hand, certainly holds many surprises for us.
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Will more Apple devices move to USB-C?
The European Commission has been very clear on this subject: Apple has until December 28, 2024 to replace the Lightning port on its devices with a USB-C port. Moreover, the legislation does not only focus on the apple brand (although this is mainly affected by the measure), but all electronic devices sold only the Old Continent. In theory, all Apple devices will therefore have to pass the deadline.
But the transition will not happen for everyone at the same time. For example, the iPhone should be the first to succeed, with the iPhone 15. According to Mark Gurman, journalist at Bloomberg and specialist at the Cupertino company, we will have to wait until at least 2024 so that the other accessories integrate the new connectors. According to the latter, the following AirPods will be the last to miss the Lightning port, shortly before the deadline imposed by the European Commission.
Likewise, future iterations of Mac accessories, such as Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, will also have to offer a USB-C port. Also, as explained above, it’s not impossible that Apple will only launch wireless versions of its devices, forcing users to equip themselves with a suitable charger. It will take a little more patience to get to the bottom of it.
Either way, Apple should stop delaying the inevitable. In the coming months, we will see the transition to USB-C proceed quietly, with certain nuances that only the Cupertino company has the secret. And you, what do you think of this new European Union regulation? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments!
