Apple Reportedly Planning to Limit iPhone 15's USB-C Port in the Same Way as Lightning

[MacRumors]

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro's USB-C port and accompanying charging cables will feature a Lightning-like authenticator chip, potentially limiting their functionality with Apple-unapproved accessories, a rumor shared on Weibo suggests.

The rumor declares that Apple has developed its own variant of USB-C for this year's iPhone 15 lineup and comes from a user who claims to be an integrated circuit expert with 25 years of experience working on Intel's Pentium processors.

Integrated circuit (IC) interfaces are semiconductor chips used to manage the sharing of information between devices. Since their introduction in 2012, first-party and MFi-certified Lightning ports and connectors contain a small IC that confirms the authenticity of the parts involved in the connection. Non-MFi-certified third-party charging cables, for example, do not feature this chip, often leading to "This accessory is not supported" warnings on connected Apple devices.

The authenticator chip allows Apple to encourage customers to buy genuine iPhone peripherals and receive a commission on MFi-certified accessories, but it also allows Apple to tackle counterfeit and potentially dangerous accessories.

The latest rumor seems to suggest that Apple has developed a similar custom IC for the USB-C ports on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, and presumably its charging cables. As well as the iPhone 15 lineup, the new IC is apparently destined for new MFi-certified peripherals.

It is worth noting that the USB-C interface currently used by Apple in the 10th-generation iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro, do not contain an IC chip for authentication, meaning that this would be a first for ports of this kind offered by the company.

It is unclear if this addition could have any major implications for the functionality of the new devices, but it is possible that Apple could limit features like fast charging and high-speed data transfer to Apple and MFi-certified cables.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds – the same as Lightning. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will apparently get faster transfer speeds. As a result, the only major difference between Lightning and USB-C on the standard iPhone 15 models could simply be the physical shape of the connector.

The report is particularly believable since this would effectively mirror the split between the entry-level iPad and the iPad Pro. While both iPad models feature a USB-C port, the 10th-generation iPad is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, while the iPad Pro offers fully fledged Thunderbolt speeds up to 40 Gbps.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Planning to Limit iPhone 15's USB-C Port in the Same Way as Lightning

 

[gpat]

Classic Apple shenanigans. Had no doubt about it.

 

[JCCL]

I doubt it. The don’t do this in the iPads like the article points out. It would be a terrible move to implement this in the iPhone. this would kind of defeat the entire purpose of having usb-c. Are they so eager to get an extra 30 from every customer?

 

[mgroot]

I can't see the EU liking this approach if true

 

[MakeAppleAwesomeAgain]

I don't care about some warning here and there, but sticking with USB 2.0 speeds is a crime.

 

[alexe]

Apple is so ridiculous sometimes.

 

[izyreal]

I really hope this isn’t true. Why go to so much expense to engineer an inferior product?

 

[anushreejit]

Interesting development for the upcoming iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. The implementation of an authenticator chip for their USB-C port may limit compatibility with non-Apple accessories, but may also improve security and authentication for approved accessories. We'll have to wait and see what Apple officially announces.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I guess Apple doesn't want to get rid of all that sweet sweet cash from MFI licensing fees.

They're finally using an industry-standard port on the iPhone... but of course they will find a way to mess with it.

Disappointing... but not surprising...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[wanha]

I won't pretend to understand all the technical details that probably go into a decision like this, but on the surface of it, it sure looks like a user-hostile move by Apple to limit functionality in order to upsell a model without the inbuilt limitation.

 

[orbital~debris]

Love the phrase "fully fledged Thunderbolt".
Feels like it needs a Homer Simpson "🤤" suffix.

 

[pinkkie]

I really hope this isn’t true. Why go to so much expense to engineer an inferior product?

just to make an ass of EU bureaucracy, classic Apple

 

[AndrewChen]

It can't be true, considering new ipads has real usb-c ports

 

[eduardodfj]

I can't believe Apple is going that far in order to produce an inferior product. USB 2 speeds in 2024 is just stupid. I think this rumor is just not true.

 

[gpat]

I really hope this isn’t true. Why go to so much expense to engineer an inferior product?

Yeah, never happened before, like the Magic Mouse having the charging port on the bottom, or the 2018 MBA heatsink designed to make the fan spin without cooling the CPU, or the iPad 10 pencil thing, or the studio display having a dedicated CPU for the webcam when the M-series inside the Mac could do the same tasks in a better way, or the power cord on the very same Studio Display being fixed... and I could go on

 

[bgarnett]

Why they, it would be far from a selling point and just looks incredibly petty.

 

[Sciomar]

Well, you know, it would be trivial for the EU to not allow this. And Apple, of course, would need to comply.

It's only a rumor for now, let's not jump too quickly into social chaos mode. Apple would just pay whatever silly fine the EU issues, it's all a money grab scheme for them.

 

[sam_dean]

Nag screen for safety ✅

USB 2.0 speeds ❌

I bought knock off Lightining cable that started to melt when I used a 12W charger with it rather than 5nm.

I think I spent $1 on it.

Imagine if it caught fire and burned down my ex's home.... tragic.

 

[fatTribble]

How about engineering a way to protect the iPhone from faulty cables rather than trying to identify cable that give Apple a cut of the profits 🤔

 

[Kirkster]

Interesting. I don’t see a problem in the reduction of the attack surface in the USB interface. USB has been a used as an attack vector in the past successfully.

 

[xxray]

Almost completely defeats the purpose of going to USB-C and Apple’s “saving the environment” claims. What a joke.

 

[syklee26]

This speed restriction will likely be on
Non-pro devices. Typical Tim Cook-era Apple BS.

 

[akbarali.ch]

I believe it would be usb3.0 5gbps speed and pros could carry 10gbps or straight thunderbolt.

 

[Cubsfan]

Is USBC vulnerable to usb attacks like USBA is? They literally make USBA condoms for things like this. I assume this is also partially Apple's solution to that.

 

[fatTribble]

It's only a rumor for now, let's not jump too quickly into social chaos mode. Apple would just pay whatever silly fine the EU issues, it's all a money grab scheme for them.

But jumping too quickly into social chaos mode is my superpower! 💪🤭