When you purchase by way of our hyperlinks, Insider could earn an affiliate fee. Learn more.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
- Apple confirmed that it will launch an iPhone with USB-C, however it’s not clear when.
- It means you’d solely want a single USB-C cable to cost your Apple units, however you may want extra so you may cost a number of units at the identical time.
- You would not essentially want to purchase new chargers or cables in the event you’ve already purchased USB-C chargers and cables.
Apple confirmed that it will launch an iPhone that makes use of USB-C for charging as an alternative of its proprietary Lightning customary, in accordance to the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern.
Apple’s affirmation comes as the EU finalized a new law that forces tech producers to use the USB-C charging customary by the fall of 2024 for many moveable, battery-powered units offered in the EU, together with Apple’s.
It wasn’t confirmed whether or not USB-C iPhones will probably be launched in 2023, 2024, and even 2025 — Apple may announce its 2024 iPhones, doubtless in September, earlier than the EU’s new legislation goes into impact in the fall of 2024.
It additionally wasn’t confirmed whether or not Apple will launch a separate iPhone with Lightning exterior the EU after the legislation is in impact.
Lightning cables will stick round for years to come
Clancy Morgan
It does not essentially imply you’d want to ditch all of your Lightning cables, as solely the iPhone fashions launched after the EU’s legislation would come with USB-C ports. Older fashions launched earlier than the legislation goes into impact will nonetheless use the Lightning customary.
That means the Lightning customary and related equipment, like Lightning cables, would nonetheless be related till Apple stops promoting Lightning iPhones, which might be a pair years after the legislation goes into impact.
Even after Apple sells the final Lightning iPhone, many customers will nonetheless personal Lightning iPhones for a number of years to come. It’s unclear whether or not Apple will hold promoting Lightning cables and equipment after it discontinues gross sales of the final Lightning iPhone.
USB-C iPhones would assist unify your Apple units
By changing all its remaining Lightning units to USB-C, you’d conceivably solely want one single USB-C charging cable and charging brick to cost all of your Apple units. Currently, you want USB-C cables for Apple’s Mac laptops and most of its iPads, however you want a separate Lightning cable for iPhones, AirPods, and the Ninth-generation iPad.
No doubt, you may want a pair extra USB-C cables and chargers so you may cost a number of units at the identical time. Still, no less than all of your units would use a single customary, so you could possibly change the charging connection between a Mac and iPhone with out reaching for a Lightning cable.
Would you want to purchase new charging bricks or USB-C cables?
Anker
As lengthy as you have got a charging brick with a USB-C port, it’s most unlikely that you simply’d want to purchase new charging bricks for a USB-C iPhone. You’d merely plug a USB-C-to-USB-C cable into the charger and iPhone. Apple sells its personal USB-C charging bricks, and there are numerous third-party choices, too.
Apple hasn’t confirmed whether or not it would come with USB-C-to-USB-C charging cables with USB-C iPhones, however the firm doubtless will. If it does not, you could possibly use a USB-C cable that got here with one other system — that is the fantastic thing about the common USB-C charging customary.
I can not discuss USB-C with out no less than mentioning the confusion it’s induced — some USB-C cables are solely made for charging, whereas others are solely constructed for knowledge switch. For easy charging, nonetheless, it should not be too complicated, as most USB-C cables which can be included with units immediately assist charging.
It’s unlikely that Apple would begin together with charging bricks once more with USB-C iPhones.