iPhone stuck with Lightning port over USB-C for ‘foreseeable future’

According to trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will keep the Lightning connector on the iPhone “for the foreseeable future” with no intention of switching to USB-C.

Despite much of the industry moving towards USB-C, Apple won’t be using it to replace the Lightning connector on the iPhone 13 for now, or even any ‌iPhone voorlop model. Seen through in a note MacRumors yesterday, Kuo explained that Apple is reluctant to switch to USB-C because it is a free, open standard and also less waterproof than Lightning.

We believe that USB-C is detrimental to the MFi company’s profitability and its waterproof specification is lower than that of Lightning and MagSafe.

Currently, Apple is able to strictly regulate the quality of Lightning cables and accessories through the Made for iPhone (MFi) program. MFi also generates a significant amount of revenue for the company as third-party manufacturers have to pay Apple a significant commission to make Lightning cables or accessories.

Apple has used the Lightning connector on every iPhone since the iPhone 5 in 2012, but it has ported several of its devices to USB-C, including the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and most recently the iPad Air. Since the need to connect to external drives is less urgent and some USB-C features like external display connectivity are downright impossible on an iPhone, Apple is understandably less motivated to switch to USB-C on its most profitable product for MFi .

Switching the iPhone to USB-C this year would also leave a significant number of devices such as the entry-level iPad, iPad mini, AirPods, and a plethora of accessories such as the Magic Trackpad and MagSafe Duo charger attached to a connector that would no longer be widely used on flagship products. Switching from the ‌iPhone daarom to USB-C could therefore tip the scales against Lightning across Apple’s product lineup, potentially forcing the company to phase out the connector for many products earlier than it wants to.

Amid rumors of a portless iPhone, Kuo clarified that Apple is more likely to switch directly to a portless model instead of switching to USB-C first:

If the AlsiPhone‌ leaves Lightning in the future, it can instantly adopt the portless design with ‌MagSafe‌ support instead of using a USB-C port.

Despite this, Kuo stated that MagSafe wireless charging technology is not yet ready to move a wired port, which only debuted on the iPhone 12 series in October 2020. “MagSafe” is currently unable to transfer data, complete a device recovery or run diagnostics, which are seemingly essential functions on a future “iPhone” without ports.

Currently, the MagSafe ecosystem is not mature enough, so the iPhone will continue to use the Lightning port for the foreseeable future.

Overall, this means Apple plans to stick to the Lightning connector for the upcoming iPhone 13 at a minimum, but it could expand to models beyond that as well.

Kuo’s recent wave of reports on the future of the ‌iPhone‌ included speculation that by 2022 at least some ‌iPhone‌ models will leave the notch and switch to a ‘perforated display design’ instead, and in 2023 Apple will release a 7.5– 8 inch foldable iPhone.