Apple is very much expected to announce a new iPhone 15 series with USB-C ports in lieu of Lightning later in 2023, but what if it went the whole hog andaddedUSB-C instead? What if we got a USB-C portas well asa Lightning port?
That’s a question that one engineer set out to answer, so they made it happen themselves. The result is anAppleabomination that is somehow alsoreallycool.
The whole process was posted to YouTube and then ontoReddit, with the response generally being one of bemusement. The conversation then ended up turning into an argument about whether wired or wireless headphones are best because Reddit, but that’s another story altogether.
We’ve of course seen engineers swap out Lightning ports for USB-C ports in the past, but this is the first time we’ve seen anyone decide that two ports are better than one. Until recently this thing might have had more ports than some of Apple’s laptops.
Apple is expected to go USB-C later this year, withan EU lawdictating that all phones sold in the region must use a common charging connector. That connector is of course USB-C, with Apple being the only major smartphone player that didn’t already use it. As a result, it’s going to have to play ball.
Apple alsoessentially confirmedthat it will move to USB-C when it said that it would comply with local laws as required. That led some to suggest that Apple would still sell a Lightning iPhone outside the EU, but that seems unlikely.
The move to USB-C could spell the end of the Made for iPhone (MFi) program that sees Apple charge accessory makers money to let them put an authentication chip into their wares. However, a recent report suggests that Apple hasa new USB-C versionof that chip in the works that would likely work in much the same way.
It’s unclear as to whether generic USB-C cables will be limited in some way or if they simply won’t work at all.
