iPhone 15 USB-C charging will be the biggest upgrade in years

The next iPhones, expected in September as usual, could have a feature the iPhone never had: a universal charging port.

New iPhone models could include a USB Type-C charger port on the bottom of the phone, according to Apple Analysts And Media reports. This is the same charging port used in nearly every laptop sold in the past few years, as well as Android phones, iPads, and other gadgets from Kindles to headphones to drones and heated blankets.

The USB-C connector will replace Apple’s proprietary Lightning port, which has been on the bottom of every iPhone model released since 2012.

This shift will be one of the biggest improvements to the iPhone in years for consumers.

iPhone users will no longer need to bring two different cables for their phones and other gadgets while traveling. Android users can borrow chargers from people who own iPhones. You can borrow chargers from anyone with a newer laptop. Schools and businesses can standardize one type of charger for their entire device fleet. USB-C can even allow iPhones Reach faster charging speeds.

While Apple hasn’t confirmed that its new iPhones will have a USB-C charging port, and didn’t respond to a request for comment, a change is bound to happen.

A new regulation passed by the European Union last year requires USB-C ports to be present on new smartphones by 2024. It is unlikely that Apple will produce an iPhone model only for the European market. “Obviously, we’ll have to comply,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s chief marketing officer, said. He said last year.

Consumer benefits, such as a reduced “lock-in” to a single plant, helped shape the reasoning behind the new regulations. The European Union estimates that the base can save the Europeans 250 million euros annually on chargers. The EU also said that old chargers account for about 11,000 tons of e-waste per year in the region.

Apple opposed the law. In a 2021 letter, Apple said the regulations will hinder innovation in future charging, may require it to take devices off the market early, and can overwhelm consumers with additional information.

“We are concerned that regulation mandating only one type of connector for all devices on the market will harm European consumers by slowing the introduction of beneficial innovations in charging standards, including those relating to safety and energy efficiency,” Apple said in the letter.

Whenever Apple changes the ports on its devices, skeptics think it’s just an attempt to make more money off of pricier cables. Apple’s most capable USB-C cable Retails for $39.

For example, when Apple added USB-C chargers to its MacBook laptops from 2015, it jokes face About the dongle required to connect older accessories to new laptops.

When Apple removed the iPhone’s headphone jack in 2016, it spurred months of feedback, both for and against the “brave” change, whether Apple was pushing people to the more expensive wireless AirPods, and it still inspires us today about whether it was the right decision. (Most Android phones have followed suit.)

But while Apple makes money from its cables, and has a program in which accessory makers pay for access and official Apple parts called “MFi,” Apple’s strategic focus is on making sure its products work together without major flaws so that its users keep buying new iPhones. It is not nickel and dongles dongles and accessories.

Cable sales are reported in Apple’s wearables, home and accessories product line, which reported $41 billion in revenue in 2022, though Apple’s watches and headphones make up the majority of sales. That’s well below the $205 billion in iPhone sales Apple reported for the year.

Apple’s argument that the new charger will cause confusion holds more water. With the Lightning port, companies that wanted to make officially certified accessories had to apply for Apple’s program, and pay for access to specifications and official Apple parts. For consumers, this meant that while there were a few imitation Lightning devices to avoid, in most stores just a purchased dock, watch, or cable would work.

USB-C is a different beast. that it “standard,” which means that the exact specifications are published by a group of companies and individuals working together. Anyone can use these specifications to build cables, and you don’t need to sign up for a program run by Apple.

This also means that many iPhone users will learn that not all cables with a USB-C connector are created equal. Some cables can transfer data quickly, and some cannot. Back when the standard was first introduced, some cables could damage hardware because they weren’t configured incorrectly (although this hasn’t been as common in recent years.) Some cables even support “Thunderbolt,” a modern transmission standard. Data for powerful accessories like monitors or docks, albeit at a higher price. There are websites Exam And He depends Cables that are “compatible” with the USB-C standard.

Apple will likely let users know if their cable is suitable for charging their phones through software warnings, what it carries in its retail operations, and through its MFi program.

But the charger port switch clearly raises the potential for frustrating situations that didn’t exist when Apple stuck with its own charger. Apple’s current troubleshooting document for USB-C charging issues on a Mac Users are required to test With official Apple cables and power adapters.

The world won’t change overnight when Apple’s iPhones have USB-C ports. Apple is still developing some of its own charging standards, such as MagSafe, which uses magnets to attach a charging disc to the back of the iPhone. Its Apple Watch uses a unique magnetic charger, too. Even after using USB-C as the only charging port on its MacBook laptops for years, Apple recently introduced a proprietary magnetic charger on recent models.

Recently, Apple watchers expectIt’s possible that the company will try to completely remove the ports from the iPhone, but until then, Apple fans with multiple products will still need to carry around several different charging cables.

However, the USB-C port is still a step in the right direction for iPhone users, even if Apple is grumbling along the way. Apple preferred an approach that would standardize the charging bricks, but allowed the cables to be specific to a type of device.

“What it lets you do is you have over a billion people — not a few people have that connector on the left [pointing to the Lightning cable] — to be able to use what it already has, and it doesn’t have to be disabled,” Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Jozwiak, said last year.