Apple

Apple accessories could drop the Lightning cable for USB-C

Your AirPods could soon include a USB-C port.

by
Josiah Motley
May 16, 2022

Image: Unsplash

Recently, a report came out that said the iPhone 15 was expected to drop the Lightning cable. That report focused on the iPhone, but now, it seems that Apple may be exploring USB-C for other products, as well.

Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst, believes that a USB-C future for Apple isn’t that far away. While Kuo failed to provide a definitive timeline, a recent tweet notes that “other Lightning port products” would switch to USB-C in the “foreseeable future.”

This would mean Apple products like AirPods, and the Magic group (Keyboard/Mouse/Trackpad) would all make the switch from the Lightning cable to USB-C.

1. Portless iPhone may cause more problems due to current limitations of wireless technologies & the immature MagSafe ecosystem.
2. Other Lightning port products (e.g., AirPods, Magic Keyboard/Trackpad/Mouse, MagSafe Battery) would also switch to USB-C in the foreseeable future. https://t.co/KD14TgBmtr
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 15, 2022

The change makes sense. Not only would it help make everything uniform across the board for Apple (MacBooks and most iPads already use USB-C), but there is another important reason for the change.

The European Union is looking to cut back on e-waste and one of the ways it wants to do that is by requiring many tech manufacturers to make their charging standards universal. Specifically, USB-C for charging ports.

If Apple is going to make the switch to USB-C, it is definitely being pushed in that direction by the EU’s proposed legislation.

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