After much speculation, Apple has finally confirmed the rumors: the new generation of iPhones will have a USB-C port.
iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which were unveiled at the Wonderlust ceremony, have had many small and big changes (especially the Pro models), but one important point in all of them attracts attention: no more news of the unpopular port and Lightning is not obsolete. The new iPhones have a USB-C port. This port is also added to the AirPods case.
Equipping the iPhone with a USB-C port is the result of a new law in Europe that will take effect next year; But Apple, in order to maintain its position of power, welcomed this port earlier.
At the Wonderlust event, Apple introduced the USB-C port as if it wanted to add this port to the iPhone from the beginning, and the change applied to its phones is not the result of flouting European rules.
The new iPhone Pros get 20x faster transfer speeds thanks to the USB-C port (but the standard and Plus models still use the previous generation’s transfer speeds). Apple says that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the first phones in the world with a transfer speed of 10 gigabits.
How is the USB-C port different from Lightning?
USB-C and Lightning are protocols for connectivity and power delivery. Both ports are often used to charge devices such as phones and tablets, but you can also use them to transfer data such as videos, photos, and music.
From the point of view of most analysts and users, USB-C is the standard charging and data transfer port; Nevertheless, Apple continued to use Lightning in its most important product, the iPhone. USB-C was introduced about a decade ago and was very popular in a short time.
USB-C
In all aspects, it is better than Lightning and it also supports the USB4 standard (the new generation iPhones have gone to the USB 3 standard).
In theory, USB-C cables can transfer data at 40 Gbps. In comparison, Lightning transfer speed reaches 480 Mbps. Lightning is based on the old USB 2.0 standard.
Apple does not disclose the official specifications of many of its technologies and standards; So even now we don’t know what the maximum transmission speed of lightning is. Apple has not updated the Lightning protocol since 2012; Therefore, this port has practically remained unchanged in the last decade.
Any way you look at it, USB-C is a better port than Lightning
Lightning was introduced as a smaller and more modern version of Apple’s 30-pin port. We first saw that old port in 2011 with iPod. Lightning was much better than the 30-pin connector: the new cable was smaller, could be plugged into the phone’s port from both ends, and could also transfer data faster. Apple said at the time that Lightning was supposed to be used for a decade.
Lightning is Apple’s proprietary port and works only with the company’s products; While USB-C is widely used in the technology industry and cables equipped with this connector are compatible with all kinds of products. This compatibility makes USB-C much more attractive.
Another important advantage of USB-C is the support for higher charging power; But as it seems, the charging speed of new generation iPhones has not changed. Before the unveiling of the iPhone 15 series, it was said that Apple would finally bring super-fast charging to these phones. It is not clear why Apple is still resisting increasing the iPhone’s charging capacity.
What does changing the iPhone port mean for Apple?
Apple resisted adding USB-C to the iPhone for years, and for good reason. A decade after the birth of Lightning, a large ecosystem of accessories has been formed around this port, which annually deposits billions of dollars into Apple’s coffers. Saying goodbye to Lightning means saying goodbye to the rich ecosystem of this portal.
USB-C has a more mature ecosystem, but that doesn’t necessarily bode well for Apple; Because Lightning was a proprietary port and companies had to pay Apple to produce official accessories with this port. This is despite the fact that USB-C entered the market years ago and today a significant number of accessories use this port.
Lightning was introduced as a smaller and more modern version of Apple’s 30-pin port. We first saw that old port in 2011 with iPod. Lightning was much better than the 30-pin connector: the new cable was smaller, could be plugged into the phone’s port from both ends, and could also transfer data faster. Apple said at the time that Lightning was supposed to be used for a decade.
Lightning is Apple’s proprietary port and works only with the company’s products; While USB-C is widely used in the technology industry and cables equipped with this connector are compatible with all kinds of products. This compatibility makes USB-C much more attractive.
Another important advantage of USB-C is the support for higher charging power; But as it seems, the charging speed of new generation iPhones has not changed. Before the unveiling of the iPhone 15 series, it was said that Apple would finally bring super-fast charging to these phones. It is not clear why Apple is still resisting increasing the iPhone’s charging capacity.
What does changing the iPhone port mean for Apple?
Apple resisted adding USB-C to the iPhone for years, and for good reason. A decade after the birth of Lightning, a large ecosystem of accessories has been formed around this port, which annually deposits billions of dollars into Apple’s coffers. Saying goodbye to Lightning means saying goodbye to the rich ecosystem of this portal.
USB-C has a more mature ecosystem, but that doesn’t necessarily bode well for Apple; Because Lightning was a proprietary port and companies had to pay Apple to produce official accessories with this port. This is despite the fact that USB-C entered the market years ago and today a significant number of accessories use this port.
Don’t look at changing the iPhone port as a simple event. Changing the iPhone’s charging port requires a significant overhaul of the accessory supply chain and, of course, changes to the iPhone itself and the phone’s software. The money spent on these processes is much more than expected. Despite all this, changing the port to USB-C did not affect the price of the iPhone in the new generation (even the use of a titanium frame and a 3nm processor did not increase the price of Apple’s new phones).
The last time the iPhone port was changed, users took a strong stand against Apple
The last time the iPhone port was switched to Lightning in 2012, users took a strong stand against Apple. Also, in 2016, when the headphone jack was removed, we saw a lot of criticism from Apple. However, this year everything is different; Because the iPhone market is fully prepared for USB-C.
Apple is concerned that with the port change, iPhone 15 users will have an easier time migrating to Android because they have compatible accessories before getting an Android phone.
With all this, Apple finally made up its mind and added USB-C to the iPhone after the iPad and MacBook. Even the new AirPods model has a USB-C port.
USB-C replaces the port that was first introduced in 2012 with the iPhone 5. At the time, Apple called Lightning an engineering achievement because it was much smaller than the previous 30-pin connector and had a lower failure rate.
With the unveiling of the iPhone 15, the story of the Lightning port finally came to an end. Apple is now gearing up to widely market USB-C and its advantages over Lightning.
The addition of USB-C to the iPhone was never among Apple’s wishes; But the company “temporarily” compromised with European rules. Why temporarily? Because Apple is preparing for a future where iPhones have no ports and charge only wirelessly.
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