The iPhone 15 may get a USB-C port, but wireless connectivity is the next step

The Lightning port had only two functions: to be small and secure. Apple developed the new connector for the iPhone 5, which at the time was the largest, thinnest and lightest iPhone the company had made. Every millimeter of space and every milligram of weight counts. For nearly a decade, Apple used the 30-pin dock connector, which was extremely bulky—about four times the size of a standard micro-USB connector. The dock connector was also a bit fiddly and fiddly. You had to split the cable this way so you could finally attach the little hooks to the connector. After a decade of developing the Dock Connector, Apple needed something better.

When Apple introduced the Lightning at its annual fall 2012 event, company executives talked a lot about how small it was. “Given the dimensions of the new phone and all the features we wanted to add, we had to manage the space inside the phone very carefully,” Bob Mansfield, the company’s head of hardware development at the time, said in a pre-produced video. Everything is described in detail aspects of the phone. Phil Schiller, the company’s director of marketing, showed a slide that claimed the Lightning Dock is 80 percent smaller than the connector.

But even though Apple needed the connector because of its modest size, the company clearly understood why regular users would love it. “It’s more durable and easier to use because you can now attach it to both sides; It’s more durable and easier to use,” Schiller said with a laugh. Never mind.” As he said this, he waved his hand in imitation of the cable connection. Everyone knows you never connect a USB cable correctly the first time; You can’t go wrong with lightning.

This week, 11 years after that introduction, it seems almost certain that Apple will remove the Lightning port from the iPhone. A new European Union law says all phones sold in member states must use USB-C for physical charging, and Apple has admitted it must follow the rules. “Of course we have to comply,” Greg Joswak, Apple’s current chief marketing officer, said last year. “We have no choice.” Although this requirement won’t go into effect until next year, persistent rumors and reports indicate that Apple will make the change now.

In some ways, this is a natural transition. Apple played a big role in developing the USB-C standard, which was first introduced in 2014. Apple immediately began using the new port: the following year, it released a new 12-inch MacBook that only used USB-C USB-C. “The team decided that if we’re going to have a port here, we should make it the most versatile port we’ve ever put on a laptop,” Schiller said of USB-C. “And they certainly did.” He explains two specific reasons why users love it: it’s small and reversible.

Over the next few years, most Macs and iPads were also replaced. iPhones could easily have had a USB-C port a few years ago. Apple didn’t make the switch for a number of reasons, not the least of which was financial: using a proprietary connector gave Apple control of a huge accessory market and revenue from Lightning device manufacturers. In general, Apple doesn’t seem to appreciate requests to switch to USB-C, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

But make no mistake: this transition will be complicated. On the one hand, many iPhone owners have to replace all cables or at least buy a few ugly dongles to get their devices to work. There are many standards within the USB-C standard as well, and don’t be surprised if Apple introduces its own to make things even more confusing.

But when everything changes, virtually the entire tech industry will be able to use the same cable, the same dock, the same everything for the first time. They will be young and that’s for sure. Just like lightning. Except this time it will be available to everyone.

Oliver Seal, head of design at accessory giant Belkin, has pretty much everything to say about the Lightning port. “I look at the general curve of technology development and think it’s moving away from stress — where people have to change to adapt to technology — to where technology serves people better,” he says. Lightning has taken the little inconveniences that come with connecting a charger and simplified them This is especially important for your most used devices.

Even though early Lightning ports were robust and secure, and Apple was stubborn about licensing accessories in the early days, it eventually created a huge ecosystem of cool devices. “They range from wobbly and big and boring to very elegant and small and double-edged,” Seal says. It seems clear now – how annoying would it be to pull out a micro USB cable and then have trouble connecting it properly? – But then there was an unexpected breath of fresh air.

But there was one thing about Lightning that Seal always thought was a little silly. “You remember your first pencil, don’t you?” asked “It was an exceptional product, but it had to be charged with lightning.” But you didn’t put anything in the pen to charge it; You had to put the pencil away in something. Stylus sticking out of the iPad has become a meme. This is not how loading should work. Seil’s broad point is that there is another connector on the other side of the Lightning cable. “I’m just starting to have these issues where it’s not the same on both sides.” That’s exactly what makes USB-C great. Not only is the connector reversible so you can’t plug it in the wrong way, but the cable directions are as well

Of course, Seal laughed as he explained the beauty of the system. If only it actually worked like that! “Right now you can literally take a USB-C charger with two USB ports, plug one into your device and the other into the wall, and nothing happens.” USB-C is a universal standard in theory, but in reality it is not. They differ mainly in data transfer speed and performance, and Cell’s theory is that users should get used to storing their own electricity and looking for it in the best buy box. A persistent rumor about the iPhone 15 is that it will have a Thunderbolt port instead of the standard USB-C port, which has a similar shape but more expensive port and is more adaptable to different speeds and USB versions. This may at least help clear up some of the confusion for your iPhone.

However, let’s be optimistic here for a minute. Let’s fast-forward a bit to the moment when loading protocols became truly global; Maybe Thunderbolt will win, and maybe we all know the wattage of our devices by heart, but no matter how far we get there, all of our cables and accessories will work with all of our devices, based on a standard that’s not going away. Far Seal believes that this could be the best thing in the accessories industry. Most common people’s first concern is: If I buy this charger, will it work on my device??”, he says. “If I go into a store and tell myself it’s compatible with most smartphones, I don’t know what that means to me.” If the market isn’t segmented by device, not only will people have more accessories to choose from, but they may be willing to buy better ones knowing that their equipment will work even if they upgrade or switch.

Let’s go back to 2012 for a moment, to the iPhone 5 launch event As he began to explain the concept behind the Lightning port, Schiller said the biggest change is that we no longer need cables like we used to. “We used to do a lot of things over the wire, now we do it wirelessly,” he said. Bluetooth audio has replaced AUX cables for many; People sync their devices and files over Wi-Fi instead of connecting their phones to iTunes However, Schiller then announced a new cable system.

At the time, Schiller scoffed at the idea of ​​wireless charging. “In most cases, it’s actually more complicated to build another device that you have to plug into the wall,” he said. In an interview with Dr Everything is digital When asked why the iPhone 5 doesn’t have NFC or wireless charging. It wasn’t until the iPhone 8 in 2017 that Apple smartphones got wireless charging for the first time, and by then Schiller had largely changed his attitude. “Words can’t describe how nice it is to put it down and pick it up when you want to charge it again without plugging in a cable.” He said you might have a wireless charger in your bedroom; He said your local coffee shop might have it ready on every table.

Virtually ever since, rumors have swirled that Apple’s ultimate plan was to make an entirely portless iPhone. It’s actually not too far after you ditch the headphone jack and SIM tray. In recent years, Apple has heavily marketed MagSafe as a charging system, and it’s clear that one of iOS 17’s key features — standby mode — is partly designed to get people used to the idea of ​​charging their phones from the dock.

In some ways, Lightning was a temporary connector until we got USB-C. Maybe USB-C, at least on our smartphones, is a similar stop on the way to really cool wireless charging. What happens when wireless charging really stops next? Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a number of devices adopt the new Qi2 standard, which aims to provide faster and more reliable wireless charging for devices. Accessory manufacturers big and small are starting to sell pads, stands, and other devices that can wirelessly charge multiple devices at once. And of course, Apple, which originally had to build a USB-C port into its iPhones, has plenty of reasons to promote MagSafe as the way of the future.

An iPhone without a port is a bad idea, at least for now. But as Sale says, the pressures of technology are moving people away from work and into empowering technology It just worksWireless charging seems like a clear step in this direction. None of this happens once the iPhone has a USB-C port. But this is the next level: global systems that produce less waste, cause fewer headaches, and work the way they’re supposed to. Lightning has helped facilitate connectivity. And now Apple — and the rest of the industry — may be getting closer to pulling the plug entirely