If there’s one rumor about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 lineup you possibly can financial institution on, it’s that we’ll lastly see the dying of the proprietary Lightning port in favor of the extra common and open USB-C normal.
It’s been a very long time coming, however the writing has additionally been on the wall for years. Apple has slowly been ceding floor to USB-C in its cellular units, beginning with the 2018 iPad Professional. At that time, shifting to a USB-C port was thought of a obligatory concession to the kind of skilled customers Apple needed to draw to its premium tablets.
Nonetheless, the identical can’t be stated about its enlargement of USB-C to the iPad Air, iPad mini, and even the most recent tenth-generation iPad launched final fall. In the present day, each present iPad mannequin now makes use of USB-C, and naturally, Apple’s Macs have used USB-C ports since 2015.
This makes the iPhone the outlier, and it’s in all probability inevitable that Apple would have ultimately bowed to market forces and embraced USB-C by itself. We’ll by no means know for positive, although, because the European Union compelled its hand. Apple may have tried to struggle that — in spite of everything, it’s performed these video games earlier than — but it surely clearly is aware of which manner the winds are blowing. Additional, regardless of rumors that it may ditch all ports and go absolutely wi-fi, the world simply isn’t prepared for a portless iPhone.
So, right here we’re, approaching the launch of 4 new iPhone 15 fashions, all of that are virtually sure to characteristic USB-C ports. Whereas that gained’t remove the necessity for Lightning cables straight away — equipment like AirPods, the MagSafe Duo, and, mockingly, Mac keyboards and trackpads nonetheless use Lightning ports for energy charging — it’s truthful to say it will likely be the ultimate nail in Lightning’s coffin.
Experiences have instructed that Apple will transition most equipment to USB-C by 2024, and it appears prefer it’s beginning with the obvious one: its wired EarPods.
New data from leaker ShrimpApplePro notes that Apple is already engaged on EarPods with a USB-C connector to pair up with this 12 months’s iPhone 15 fashions.
Whereas we’re positive Apple would favor everybody purchase AirPods to go along with their shiny new iPhones, it’s pragmatic sufficient to appreciate that’s not going to occur; and a few of us simply want a fundamental set of wired headphones. Apple did the identical factor when it eliminated the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 lineup in 2016, with a Lightning set of EarPods that helped quell conspiracy theories that it had eradicated the three.5mm jack to drive folks to purchase AirPods.
In fact, at that time, Apple’s Lightning EarPods have been the one direct-wired possibility accessible for iPhone 7 customers. Apple additionally created a 3.5mm to Lightning headphone adapter — and even included it within the field that first 12 months to ease the transition. Nonetheless, not too many different headphone makers jumped on the bandwagon to create Lightning-equipped headphones, and it’s ironic that even Apple’s premium AirPods Max solely provide a 3.5mm-to-Lightning cable that works in the other way — taking analog audio and feeding it into the AirPods’ Lightning port.
Quick ahead to at this time, and there are dozens of USB-C headphones and headsets available on the market. In spite of everything, not solely is USB-C a typical port, however flagship Android handset makers have been steadily shifting away from 3.5mm jacks for a number of years now. In order for you a wired headphone connection to a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy, USB-C is the way in which to go.
The iPhone 15 and USB-C Audio
The larger query is whether or not Apple will permit for such issues. The European Union solely mandates that USB-C have to be used for charging; it doesn’t say something about knowledge connections.
The truth is, by the strictest interpretation of the EU’s guidelines, Apple may depart the Lightning port in place for knowledge switch and add a USB-C port solely for powering the iPhone. Fortunately, Apple is simply too involved with the magnificence of its iPhone designs to ever launch such an abomination.
However, Apple may proceed exerting management over what may be plugged into an iPhone’s USB-C port in the identical manner it has with Lightning — and a few rumors have instructed it plans to do exactly that.
Taken at an excessive interpretation, these experiences may imply Apple’s USB-C EarPods often is the solely wired headphones you possibly can plug into an iPhone 15. Apple may put an authentication chip into its personal EarPods after which design the iPhone and iOS to solely talk with units which have the mandatory chips — these created by Apple and its licensed Made-for-iPhone (MFi) program companions.
Whereas that will sound far-fetched, it’s properly inside Apple’s playbook, and it’s precisely how the Lightning port works now. It’s additionally why it doesn’t present any useful digital output capabilities for wired headphones; it’s virtually laughable that one of the simplest ways to take heed to lossless audio from Apple Music with out fussing with costly DACs is to make use of an Android telephone since you possibly can join wired USB-C headphones to these.
Nonetheless, whereas there’s doubtless some fact to the experiences that Apple will likely be using authentication chips within the USB-C port, we shouldn’t soar to the conclusion that Apple will likely be making use of this broadly to all classes of USB-C equipment. For one factor, iPads have been utilizing USB-C ports for almost 5 years now, and there’s been no proof of authentication necessities on that aspect.
Plus, Apple continues to be an organization that’s fairly involved about offering an awesome consumer expertise. Whereas that arguably wasn’t the case with its Lightning port authentication necessities, the necessities for Lightning equipment to make use of Apple chips primarily affected accent makers. That drove up costs for customers, but it surely’s fairly unusual to come across a Lightning accent that your iPhone balks at until you’re shopping for low-cost knock-off or counterfeit merchandise — which is form of the purpose of locking down the Lightning port.
Doing the identical with a USB-C port for on a regular basis equipment like headphones would create pointless confusion amongst prospects, leading to an abysmal consumer expertise. Not like Lightning, Apple has no management over USB-C accent makers, and there’s already a large market of USB-C units that Apple prospects will anticipate to make use of with their new iPhone 15.
That doesn’t imply Apple gained’t draw the road at issues like Hello-Res Lossless audio output, or sooner charging — one thing we’ve already seen with MagSafe. Nonetheless, even at its most controlling, it’s arduous to consider Apple has the form of hubris to assume it could lock down the USB-C port totally.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]