The prayer of iPhone users who have long been waiting for the arrival of an iPhone with USB-C seems to be coming true soon. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will abandon the Lightning port for iPhones starting next year and replace it with USB-C.
In a tweet, Kuo said Apple will make this transition in 2023, so it's likely that the iPhone 15 will use USB-C. Kuo's report cites an unspecified survey, possibly from component manufacturers that Kuo usually source.
Kuo said the adoption of USB-C will increase the speed of data transfer and charging iPhone batteries in hardware design, but information on the final specifications still depends on iOS support, as quoted from The Verge, Thursday (12/5/2022).
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It's expected to see existing USB-C-related suppliers of Apple's ecosystem (e.g., IC controller, connector) become the market's focus in the next 1-2 years, thanks to vast orders from iPhones and accessories' adoption of USB-C ports.
— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 11, 2022
Kuo's predictions are also not without precedent. Over the years, rumors and speculations about Apple adopting USB-C have been circulating, although this has not yet come true.
Since launching the iPhone 5, Apple is still using the Lightning port for all its iPhone lines since then even after the industry moved to USB-C. Some Apple products also actually use USB-C, such as the latest generation iPad.
Pressure is also coming from regulators, such as the European Union, which is currently working on a proposal to make USB-C a mandatory port for cell phones and other electronic devices. This rule is intended to set standards for chargers and data cables and reduce electronic waste.
Even so, Apple seems reluctant to follow the trend. Instead of installing USB-C on the iPhone, Apple is even claimed to prefer to make the iPhone portless, aka without a hole and rely on wireless charging and data transfer.
Kuo himself also previously predicted that Apple would not use a USB-C port for the iPhone. In March 2021, he said that Apple in the future plans to use the Lightning port for iPhones for various reasons.
Kuo said an iPhone with USB-C would hurt the Made for iPhone (MFi) business and make iPhone hardware less waterproof. MFi is a program where third-party manufacturers can make accessories and Lightning cables for iPhone according to Apple's standards. This program generates cash for Apple because accessories manufacturers have to pay a commission.
