Other Will Apple move to USB-C in the iPhone?

[martin2345uk]

Not this year, probably not next, but do you think they will at some point move from lightning to USB-C? It’d bring them into line with new MacBooks and many (most?) other phone manufacturers.

Thoughts on thuscabyin?

 

[jr866gooner]

I doubt it. As much sense as it would make they are quite happy taking in the dough for their own lightning cables.

 

[akash.nu]

Handheld devices will stay with lightning for the near future.

 

[KrisLord]

We’ve got to get USB-C on the charger end soon, but I don’t ever see the phone side changing to lightning.

 

[44267547]

Lightning is here at least for the forseeable future and there is no reason for them to abandon lightning on iOS devices given the AirPods, iPhone and iPad. Apple has a massive Monopoly with proprietary cables and connectors. It also binds customers into the ecosystem when they share lightning amongst other iOS devices.

 

[Gav2k]

100% no!

 

[Newtons Apple]

I hope not. Do not use the lightning plug except for monthly backups but being my X can charge wireless both would get little use. I think Apple will be sticking to the lightning plug for a while until something truly better comes around.

 

[cmaier]

Apple will get rid of the port entirely in a few years instead of switching to usb-c.

 

[CTHarrryH]

We’ve got to get USB-C on the charger end soon, but I don’t ever see the phone side changing to lightning.

I would think that would be an enormous mistake. Everywhere you go the "old" USB is given to you - in cars, electrical plates on walls, at hotels, airports etc. it would kill car-play for almost everyone. I think replacing USB- A would kill off the iphone. It would for me. There would be no reason if you had to carry converters to use anywhere. Maybe years down the line when everything is wireless but when I think of the places that I can plug my cable in today - no no no

 

[dmx]

Doubtful.

- Lightning supports USB-C Power Delivery “Fast Charging” without switching connectors

- Lightning is thinner than USB-C - unlikely Apple will allow even a fraction of a MM in extra thickness, as this could limit them in the future even if no issue now

- Apple makes money from the MFi program, which would lessen if they switched to a non-proprietary connector

 

[BarracksSi]

They shouldn't. USB-C still is hit-or-miss for audio, which is why Samsung still puts headphone jacks on their phones.

Read this post from John Gruber and reconsider the question posed by the OP.
https://daringfireball.net/2018/03/samsung_jack_off_redux

But I think the bigger factor is that Lightning makes for a better wired headphone jack than USB-C. The future is wireless, but the present remains tethered. Ever since the iPhone 7, Apple has shipped a pair of Lightning EarPods in the box, along with a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter. Apple’s Lightning EarPods cost $29, just like Apple’s EarPods with a standard headphone plug. They’re cheap enough for Apple to include in the box with every iPhone, and no more expensive than previously for customers to replace.

USB-C headphones, on the other hand, seem to be a mess. Helen Havlak wrote a piece for The Verge a few months ago titled “Buying USB-C Earbuds for My Pixel 2 Was Incredibly Annoying and Expensive”:

 

[Black Tiger]

Not this year, probably not next, but do you think they will at some point move from lightning to USB-C? It’d bring them into line with new MacBooks and many (most?) other phone manufacturers.

Thoughts on thuscabyin?

The USB C connector is larger than lightning. There isn’t room for USB c unless Apple makes the devices thicker, which is pretty unlikely.
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I would think that would be an enormous mistake. Everywhere you go the "old" USB is given to you - in cars, electrical plates on walls, at hotels, airports etc. it would kill car-play for almost everyone. I think replacing USB- A would kill off the iphone. It would for me. There would be no reason if you had to carry converters to use anywhere. Maybe years down the line when everything is wireless but when I think of the places that I can plug my cable in today - no no no

The cases you describe will probably go Qi-charging direction. Many already have.
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Apple will get rid of the port entirely in a few years instead of switching to usb-c.

Reminds me of that time everyone was begging for blu ray in the Mac and then Apple ditched optical drives completely.

 

[Brandonjr36]

Apple will get rid of the port entirely in a few years instead of switching to usb-c.

I think so to.

 

[jamisonbaines]

They shouldn't. USB-C still is hit-or-miss for audio, which is why Samsung still puts headphone jacks on their phones.

Read this post from John Gruber and reconsider the question posed by the OP.
https://daringfireball.net/2018/03/samsung_jack_off_redux

That has nothing to do with the port itself.
I'd love to have everything compatible between the MacBook and iPhone/iPad. Headphones, card readers, apple pencil, ethernet adaptors, etc.

Sadly, I don't expect apple to change.

 

[ipponrg]

I think so to.

I have doubts about this.

Like someone said above, instead of having both 3rd party wireless pads AND cables for sale, they will now have just wireless pads. Apple makes a killing on 3rd party cable accessories, so I would be surprised if they went entirely wireless in the near 2-3 years.

 

[Brandonjr36]

I have doubts about this.

Like someone said above, instead of having both 3rd party wireless pads AND cables for sale, they will now have just wireless pads. Apple makes a killing on 3rd party cable accessories, so I would be surprised if they went entirely wireless in the near 2-3 years.

Well I’m hoping your right cause if they drop the lightning port this will be my last iPhone. I don’t use mine much but it’s there if I want to. And sometimes I’m not near a a wireless charger.

 

[BarracksSi]

That has nothing to do with the port itself.
I'd love to have everything compatible between the MacBook and iPhone/iPad. Headphones, card readers, apple pencil, ethernet adaptors, etc.

Sadly, I don't expect apple to change.

Yes, it has to do with the port itself (which is what the OP's question was about).

The still-janky implementation of USB audio is a good enough reason for Apple to keep it out of the phone. What Apple can ensure by controlling the Lightning port is the ability for wired audio to not suck.

I still think that Lightning is actually better than USB, but the peripherals industry changes direction about as fast as a dead cow.

 

[tl01]

I hope they do. I prefer the feel of it.

 

[JPack]

Due to the laws of physics, the port will stay for a long time.

Wireless charging requires a coil with a certain number windings which is proportional to the wattage. In other words, wireless charging will require a relatively large diameter pad to charge at high wattage. This is bad for anyone who wants to carry a small charger. Furthermore, power decreases exponentially with distance. So users will be always be tethered to a wireless charging pad.

What's most likely to happen is Lightning will be updated to v2 or v3 to accommodate higher and higher power delivery and data standards.

 

[KrisLord]

I would think that would be an enormous mistake. Everywhere you go the "old" USB is given to you - in cars, electrical plates on walls, at hotels, airports etc. it would kill car-play for almost everyone. I think replacing USB- A would kill off the iphone. It would for me. There would be no reason if you had to carry converters to use anywhere. Maybe years down the line when everything is wireless but when I think of the places that I can plug my cable in today - no no no

All the existing uses still work - it would just come with a USB-C to lightning cable in the box, making it compatible directly with a MacBook Pro and other Apple devices.

If you want to use those other non Apple devices, buy a cable vs today when you need a new cable to use Apple products.

 

[cmaier]

Due to the laws of physics, the port will stay for a long time.

Wireless charging requires a coil with a certain number windings which is proportional to the wattage. In other words, wireless charging will require a relatively large diameter pad to charge at high wattage. This is bad for anyone who wants to carry a small charger. Furthermore, power decreases exponentially with distance. So users will be always be tethered to a wireless charging pad.

What's most likely to happen is Lightning will be updated to v2 or v3 to accommodate higher and higher power delivery and data standards.

Wireless chargers will become ubiquitous. They’ll be built into desks at work, night tables in hotels, tables in restaurants, center armrests in cars. And then we can stop traveling with chargers and Apple can drop the port.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Wireless chargers will become ubiquitous. They’ll be built into desks at work, night tables in hotels, tables in restaurants, center armrests in cars. And then we can stop traveling with chargers and Apple can drop the port.

I'm starting to see this more and more here in Southern CA at the malls/starbucks - but no one I know uses them. I tried putting my phone down on one (with a paper napkin inbetween the phone and table) - nothing happened. Maybe just my luck, lol.

 

[JPack]

Wireless chargers will become ubiquitous. They’ll be built into desks at work, night tables in hotels, tables in restaurants, center armrests in cars. And then we can stop traveling with chargers and Apple can drop the port.

People want to charge on the go, not be tethered to a table at McDonald's.

This is why you see power banks being so popular.

Until wireless charging is available to every passenger on a bus and every square foot of a beach, the port is not going away.

Right now, the laws of physics prevent charging unless the device is within a fraction of an inch of the wireless charger.

 

[Harthag]

Apple will get rid of the port entirely in a few years instead of switching to usb-c.

That would be a catastrophic mistake that they may never be able to recover from. Apple will never include a wireless charger in the box. How will we connect the iPhone to PC / Mac without a cable? Sure you can do wireless transfer, but you have to cater to the lowest common denominator- people with slow internet and / or no Bluetooth will not be able to handle this. Further, with no port whatsoever they would be eliminating all headphones that aren't wireless. People can live with dongles, but to require them to go 100% wireless will not sit well and will turn off a lot of people.

If Samsung can keep the 3.5mm jack + USB-C port + very good sounding stereo speakers + no camera bump on the S9 there's no good reason why Apple can't leave in a measly lightning port that takes up minimal space. (*Edit) The sole reason (*to keep lightning vs. go to usb-c) would be greed, to sell their dongles and cables, and soon to be released overpriced wireless charger.

 

[cmaier]

That would be a catastrophic mistake that they may never be able to recover from. Apple will never include a wireless charger in the box. How will we connect the iPhone to PC / Mac without a cable? Sure you can do wireless transfer, but you have to cater to the lowest common denominator- people with slow internet and / or no Bluetooth will not be able to handle this. Further, with no port whatsoever they would be eliminating all headphones that aren't wireless. People can live with dongles, but to require them to go 100% wireless will not sit well and will turn off a lot of people.

If Samsung can keep the 3.5mm jack + USB-C port + very good sounding stereo speakers + no camera bump on the S9 there's no good reason why Apple can't leave in a measly lightning port that takes up minimal space. The sole reason would be greed, to sell their dongles and cables, and soon to be released overpriced wireless charger.

LOL. You must be young. They said the same thing about: removing floppy drive, removing optical drive, removing magsafe, removing headphone jack etc. etc.


As for how you connect to a mac w/o a cable, you can do that now easily from Xcode. When we write code and want to run it on our devices, it wirelessly transfers and can be controlled from the mac without wires. Just uses bluetooth/wifi. The "slow internet" isn't relevant since the connection is peer-to-peer.

"The sole reason would be greed" is an uninformed statement. There are lots of good reasons to get rid of the port. Lower cost, more room for battery, more resistance to water and dust, remove a point of failure, etc. etc. More proof that it is an uninformed statement is the rest of your sentence "to sell their dongles and cables." This gets RID of dongles and cables. Just sit your iPhone next to your mac, and you're good to go. Heck, you don't even have to be nearby if you are on the same wifi network.
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People want to charge on the go, not be tethered to a table at McDonald's.

This is why you see power banks being so popular.

Until wireless charging is available to every passenger on a bus and every square foot of a beach, the port is not going away.

Right now, the laws of physics prevent charging unless the device is within a fraction of an inch of the wireless charger.

"right now" is the key (and it's not quite accurate - there are volumetric charging technologies). And if everywhere you go there is a charging pad, you're fine. And there is already a power bank that uses wireless charging, so you aren't out of luck if you are moving around, either.