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Greenmeenie

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2013
2,120
3,303
A few analysts suggest Apple might simply make a future iPhone portless rather than switch to USB-C. That would be very much an Apple thing to do.
That was the rumored plan. And probably still is. But it is still a few years away, and Apple is being forced by other Countries now to go USB-C instead of lightning.
 
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Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
1,237
944
iPhone 15 can still cin with Lightning for EU because the mandate starts in fall of 2024. Besides that I dont think we will see two different versions because it’s easier to leave something out than to have different versions in electronics and software.
My forecast is that the top model (ultra) will come port and buttonless and full waterproof.
it will be possible to take photos and videos under water.
we will see.
 

Greenmeenie

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2013
2,120
3,303
Like the eSIM thing and physical SIM. The US model may still get the Lightning port and only the EU models get the USB-C port.
I don’t see that happening. All other Apple devices use USB-C. Yes. They are being forced to switch to USB-C in Europe, but many Apple customers here in the US have been waiting for this switch to USB-C to happen as well. I think thanks to Europe, it will finally happen here too. I know Apple was hoping to go from lightning to completely port-less in the iPhones… but I don’t think such a move is coming anytime soon. Might as well switch over to USB-C in iphones like they already have with iPads.
 

yitwail

macrumors 6502
Sep 4, 2011
427
479
They may continue selling old models with lightning port but once they switch over to USB-C, I find it improbable they would maintain separate product lines in effect for Europe vs US. Removing ports I can foresee, but unless they have reason to think Samsung and Google will do the same, I think it would be too big a competitive disadvantage to go portless across the product line.
 

Fat_Guy

macrumors 65816
Feb 10, 2021
1,032
1,099
I forgot the actual quote but I think by “some models won’t have USB C” we would think lightening when in fact there will be port-less as in the new ultra with haptic fake buttons too.


They won’t go all port-less first. Like the sim tray, some will get it and some will not. Actually while punching that out why wouldn’t they just go USB C only in EU for next year seeing what happened with sim trays.
 

nStyle

macrumors 68000
Dec 6, 2009
1,513
1,072
A few analysts suggest Apple might simply make a future iPhone portless rather than switch to USB-C. That would be very much an Apple thing to do.


Gonna take a few years I hope. Apple doesn’t care about fast charging that much but still 27 w to 15 w would be a pretty serious downgrade. I know I’m an exception but I just don’t like wireless charging.
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
16,260
11,760
it will be possible to take photos and videos under water.
Still no excuse to use iPhone to take photos under water naked, unless apple somehow decide to give iPhone diving rating for no reason just Like Apple Watch ultra.
 

Paddle1

macrumors 603
May 1, 2013
5,146
3,596
There's no motivation to do this, all their other devices have already switched. Additionally supporting two types of ports would be more expensive, having to add Lightning hardware adds additional costs that simply plugging-up the SIM slot doesn't.

And if that weren't enough the logistical nightmare of possible USB-C mandates popping up in other countries at any time that could suddenly render such a model illegal to sell just make it even more financially risky and not worth it. It just wouldn't be smart to do this.
 

Kayako

Suspended
Oct 25, 2022
17
20
am i in the minority who doesn't even really care? i barely even plug my phone in via cable i primarily only use magsafe. only time my phone ever uses a cable is when i first get it and restore my backup from my pc lol or if something goes wrong and i need to restore.
 

hoo-man-b-ing

Cancelled
Mar 13, 2022
116
111
I’m actually not convinced that Apple’s going USB C on the next iPhone despite widespread media claims that they are.

I’ve watched the WSJ interview and read other statements and everything from Apple I’ve seen has been intentionally open ended. They have stated that they’ll comply with the law, but as far as I know, the law only applies to items that have a dedicated charging port. If they remove that port, they’ve complied.

Besides, listen to the other statements they’ve made in those same interviews, including ones like “our customers care about charging” and “huge amount of ewaste [associated with changing connectors.]” And Apple has expressed obvious frustration with a governing body telling them how to build their products — if I were Apple, I’d want to get out of that situation ASAP (they’ve already pointed out how the EU tried to standardize on Micro USB. What happens when the EU/USA/etc try to make Apple build XYZ into every iPhone, especially if that conflicts with another body’s prerogative?)

Besides, Apple can use this as a competitive advantage, introducing both high(er) performance inductive (or even truly wireless) charging and higher speed wireless sync, nullifying both of the oft-quoted advantages of USB C. I haven’t any doubt that’s the direction they want to move toward; the only question is “will the technology be ready for them to make the jump next year or will they have to make a brief layover in USB C land?”

Personally, I never use the lightning port on my phone so I’d rather just ditch it, especially if that meant Apple introducing faster charging (MagSafe Pro) and data transfer (Airdrop Pro).
 
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darthbane2k

macrumors 68000
Oct 22, 2009
1,762
1,863
More likely scenario is the US model goes portless and the EU one contains the port as it does the SIM slot
 
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King of Ehrenfeld

macrumors newbie
Oct 8, 2022
16
10
A few analysts suggest Apple might simply make a future iPhone portless rather than switch to USB-C. That would be very much an Apple thing to do.
But when you go to Apple Store they sometimes perform some operations on the phone with their laptop through a cable. In case a phone is not responsive or has issues, I wonder if it would be possible to have access to the phone when there's no port at all
 
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Tyler O'Bannon

macrumors 6502a
Nov 23, 2019
885
1,497
I think the Apple TV remote switching to USB-C for the remote is a big sign. All Macs and iPads are USB-C, iPhone is the only major device left. And now a minor device (remote) has moved. This is a big sign that USB- is coming. And I bet you won’t get a cable in the box with iPhone.
 

ozdy

macrumors newbie
Oct 5, 2022
6
1
I think, with USB-C Apple may add support for file transfer to and from external USB flash drives like they did with iPads. If this is going to be the case, they wouldn’t ship phones with different ports.
 
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Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
1,237
944
But when you go to Apple Store they sometimes perform some operations on the phone with their laptop through a cable. In case a phone is not responsive or has issues, I wonder if it would be possible to have access to the phone when there's no port at all
Could be a connector. Full waterproof. And over the connector the iPhone could be charged too like the Mac MagSafe.
 
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code-m

macrumors 68040
Apr 13, 2006
3,686
3,460
Delaying the inevitable. Adopt USB-C as it’s more cost effective to include the same cable as all the iPad at this point with the eventual discontinuation of the 9th Gen iPad and some random accessories that still have it.

People who are seeking a port-less iPhone, I have one question for you or should I say solution; you don’t have to use it and can plug it if you believe you are going to partake in some underwater/diving photography. Qi/MagSafe/wireless charging heats the phone battery, degrades the lifespan and adds cost to replace, resell and daily usage. This is not even a step forward it’s multiple steps back. I used to believe in Qi, until I started to observe my battery capacity degrade compared to iPhones just being plugged and not wireless charged.

People also forget about CarPlay and other docking accessories that use a port. Compared to wired, wireless connections data rate are still not reliable and fast enough. Hence we don’t see multiple display wifi support for a 4K or more resolution display or even higher refresh rates.

These people sound like I don’t use a port just eliminate it. Well here is the thing I don’t use wireless charging, let’s get rid of Qi/MagSafe and make the iPhone thinner and lighter or increase the battery capacity. I also realise the same argument can be made about anything in a product, fortunately for all of us Apple designs and makes products for the masses for financial reasons. USB-C is the better choice as it requires less accessories compared to wireless and that says a lot of Apple is pushing the Environment angle.

USB-C = Cable (hopefully included) + Power Adapter (not included)

Qi/MagSafe = MagSafe puck or Qi charger pad/stand etc + Cable (incorporated into MagSafe and some Qi accessories) + Power Adapter

I fail to see how Qi/MagSafe is better considering it does not incorporate data channels and troubleshooting process with ease of fast backups or data transfer.

These same people complain about carrying too many cables, go figure the (il)-logic 😝
 
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