While Apple’s iPhone 14 design decisions will divide opinion, they have nothing to do with what Apple plans next. . .
In a new Bloomberg report, acclaimed Apple journalist Mark Gurman shows that Apple is lately testing iPhones that remove the company’s patented (and incredibly lucrative) Lightning port in favor of USB-C. And that can make the iPhone 14 line worthless.
Gurman said Apple’s decision is driven by upcoming changes to EU law that would require all phone makers to adopt USB-C. The company has already spoken out against the changes, saying that “the law imposing a single type of connector for all devices on the market will hurt European consumers by slowing down the advent of inventions in charging standards, adding similar ones to protection and energy efficiency. “
But it’s an argument the EU has rejected, and last month the law requiring USB-C passed by majority vote. The consequences for the diversity of the iPhone 14 can be significant.
In Apple’s favor, European law is unlikely to come to iPhones before 2023 and Gurman says Apple is testing USB-C on early iPhone 15 prototypes. But if the European law is passed, all iPhone models with Lightning connector will be temporarily considered. as legacy devices. Not only through Apple fans, but also Apple.
When the iPhone five brought the Lightning port in 2011, Apple released the iPad four diversity just 8 months after the iPad 3, it was practically the same tablet with just a stroke of processor and. . . Sales of the iPad 3 have fallen off a cliff as it has its value used.
So, if Apple launches the iPhone 15 line with USB-C, the company is likely to revive the older iPhones it plans to keep promoting (including iPhone 14 models) with USB-C after the iPhone 15 launch. This would kill values used for iPhone 14 models supplied with Lightning.
And no, Apple is unlikely to sell USB-C iPhones in Europe and Lightning-equipped iPhones in the rest of the world, and Gurman explains that “having versions of the same iPhone with other connectors would likely lead to even more confusion, also as headaches in the chain of origin. “
Moreover, there are objectively intelligent reasons for the EU to make this change. Not only does a single port provide environmental benefits, but USB-C provides faster charging and data transfer speeds (which have transparent usage scenarios). It would also unify Apple’s ranges, given that the MacBook and iPad Pro already qualify USB-C.
Interestingly, Gurman’s report confirms a similar claim through famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Wednesday. At the time, Kuo’s claim was rejected by many, as he believed Apple preferred a full-lived iPhone only MagSafe before adopting USB-C. But with Gurman now on his side, the weight of the two mavens will make this news taken very seriously.
At this point, it’s unclear whether Apple would abandon its USB-C plans if EU law doesn’t or if the company is already too far along. to frames with accessories designed for the existing Lightning connector.
In short, nervous iPhone enthusiasts are asked to postpone their upgrade plans until 2023, when more significant design tweaks will occur anyway.
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