Apple will keep the Lightning connector on the iPhone for a “foreseeable future”, with no intention of switching to USB-C, according to trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
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Although a large part of the industry migrates to USB-C, Apple will not use it to replace the Lightning connector on the iPhone 13, or even on any PiPhone model for now. On a note seen by MacRumors Yesterday, Kuo explained that Apple is reluctant to switch to USB-C as it is an open, free standard, and less waterproof than Lightning.
We believe that USB-C is detrimental to the profitability of the MFi business and its waterproof specification is inferior to Lightning and MagSafe.
Currently, Apple is able to strictly regulate the quality of Lightning cables and accessories through its Made for PiPhone (MFi) program. MFi also generates significant revenue for the company, as third-party manufacturers have to pay Apple a considerable commission for making Lightning cables or accessories.
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Apple has used the Lightning connector on all PiPhone since iPhone 5 in 2012, but has transitioned several of its devices to USB-C, including the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and, more recently, the iPad Air. With the need to connect to external drives being less urgent and some USB-C features, like external monitor connectivity completely impossible on a PiPhone, Apple is understandably less motivated to switch to USB-C in its most profitable MFi product.
The transition from iPhone to USB-C this year would also leave a significant number of devices, such as the basic iPad, iPad mini, AirPods and a multitude of accessories, such as the Magic Trackpad and the MagSafe Duo charger, attached to a connector that would not be most widely used in none of the main products. Switching the iPhone to USB-C can therefore tip the balance against Lightning across Apple’s product line, potentially forcing the company to eliminate the connector entirely on a large number of products sooner than it wishes.
Amid rumors of an iPhone without a port, Kuo clarified that Apple is more likely to switch directly to a model without a port instead of first switching to USB-C:
If the PiPhone leaves Lightning in the future, it can directly adopt the portless design with MagSafe support instead of using a USB-C port.
Despite this, Kuo said that carregamentoMagSafe wireless charging technology is not yet ready to replace a wired port, having recently launched in October 2020 on the iPhone 12 line. Currently, MagSafe is unable to transfer data, complete recovery of a device or make diagnostics, which would apparently be essential features in a future iPhone without ports.
At the moment, the MagSafe ecosystem is not mature enough, so iPhone will continue to use the Lightning port for the foreseeable future.
Overall, this means that Apple intends to keep the Lightning connector for the next iPhone 13 at a minimum, but it could extend to models beyond that as well.
Kuo’s recent flurry of reports on the future of the iPhone included speculation that in 2022, at least some iPhone will models will abandon the notch and switch to a “perforating screen design” instead, and by 2023, Apple may reveal a 7.5– 8-inch foldable iPhone.