A USB-C iPhone Won't Kill the Lightning Cable... Yet - CNET

In a uncommon occurrence this week, Apple provided a tangible hint astir the iPhone's future. Company executives confirmed that Apple volition comply with the European Union's mandate that each phones successful the portion adopt USB-C arsenic the communal smartphone charging larboard successful 2024. This means that aboriginal iPhones volition request to displacement distant from the Lightning connector that's existed since 2012.

The modulation to USB-C seems inevitable for the iPhone given the EU's caller requirements. Greg Joswiak, Apple's elder vice president of worldwide marketing, speaking astatine the Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference, said that the institution has "no choice" and that Apple would "comply with section laws" arsenic it does astir the world. But that doesn't needfully mean the Lightning cablegram is becoming extinct conscionable yet. The Lightning larboard whitethorn play a bigger relation successful Apple's lineup than you mightiness expect, acknowledgment to the multitude of accessories that inactive usage it and the popularity of older iPhones.

It's nary concealed that USB-C has go progressively communal connected Apple products. It's contiguous connected each iPad successful the company's existent portfolio but for the ninth-generation iPad from 2021. You'll find USB-C ports connected Apple's MacBook Pro and Air lineup arsenic well.

But consumers and tech critics alike person been waiting for USB-C to get connected the iPhone. An iPhone X that had been modified with a USB-C port adjacent sold for $86,001 connected eBay past year. After all, wherefore wouldn't you privation to usage the aforesaid cord to complaint your iPhone, iPad and Mac? The EU's caller mandate represents a measurement toward a simpler charging acquisition successful the agelong term. Yet there's besides a accidental the modulation play could origin immoderate friction arsenic consumers perchance bounce betwixt chargers to powerfulness caller iPhones alongside bequest accessories. 

There are a fistful of products that necessitate a Lightning transportation for wired charging, speech from the iPhone. Such devices see AirPods earbuds, the AirPods Max, the first-generation Apple Pencil (which is oddly the lone exemplary that works with the caller USB-C-equipped iPad), the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard. That means owners of these devices mightiness inactive find themselves swapping cables if they acquisition an iPhone with USB-C successful the future.

Apple didn't instantly respond to CNET's petition for remark regarding whether it plans to clasp the Lightning larboard connected aboriginal versions of these products.

It's besides important to retrieve that not each iPhone shopper opts for the newest model. Apple often discounts older versions erstwhile a caller iPhone arrives. Take its existent lineup, for example, which inactive includes past year's iPhone 13 and 2020's iPhone 12. Apple besides kept the iPhone 11 successful the lineup astatine a little terms of $499 after introducing the iPhone 13 successful September 2021. If Apple maintains that tradition, determination volition apt inactive beryllium immoderate Lightning-powered iPhones successful its 2023 lineup too.

Even though galore shoppers whitethorn flock to the newest iPhone, there's a sizeable marketplace for older iPhones. The iPhone 11 was the 5th best-selling smartphone successful 2021 adjacent though it launched successful 2019, according to Counterpoint Research. Sales of the iPhone 11, iPhone SE and 4-year-old iPhone XR accounted for 15% of US iPhone income successful the March 2022 quarter, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

Refurbished iPhones are besides popular, with Apple accounting for much than 40% of the planetary marketplace for secondary phones, according to a separate Counterpoint Research report. Considering each iPhones since 2012 complaint done Lightning, it's harmless to accidental that those purchasing refurbished models successful the aboriginal volition privation to bent connected to their Lightning cables. That's peculiarly applicable considering request for refurbished phones accrued 15% successful 2021 arsenic customers looked to debar precocious prices and marque much sustainable buying decisions, Counterpoint besides reported.

People whitethorn besides beryllium inclined to clasp onto their existent phones for longer arsenic ostentation cuts into different regular expenses. Global smartphone shipments are expected to diminution 6.5% successful 2022 arsenic ostentation has weakened demand, according to the International Data Corporation. The mean property of traded-in smartphones has besides reached 3.5 years for the archetypal time, according to Assurant, an security supplier that besides helps companies develop instrumentality trade-in programs. The much bequest iPhones stay successful use, the much Lightning cables volition stay successful circulation.

Over the agelong term, the determination to USB-C volition beryllium an betterment for iPhone owners. The alteration volition marque it imaginable to complaint astir caller iPads, Macs and yet iPhones with a azygous cablegram – which is precisely wherefore the EU made USB-C mandatory successful the archetypal place. The power besides comes astatine an perfect clip considering iPhones are becoming little reliant connected wired connections acknowledgment to improvements successful wireless charging, the accrued popularity of Bluetooth accessories and Apple's caller MagSafe transportation system.

But transitions similar these instrumentality time. And determination are inactive galore unanswered questions astir however Apple volition comply with the EU's decision. For example, we don't cognize whether Apple volition marque the power to USB-C successful 2023 oregon if it volition hold until 2024. We don't cognize if Apple volition usage USB-C specifically for European iPhones oregon if it volition go the modular globally.

What does look clear, however, is that the accomplishment of a USB-C iPhone whitethorn beryllium a measurement toward utilizing 1 cosmopolitan cablegram for everything. But it won't hap overnight.