Could The Future iPhone Lose The Lightning Port?

[lordofthereef]

All I will say is that if they don't use Qi (even if it's just alongside whatever they might develop), at least in the first couple decides, I will be rather disappointed.

Chargers will likely cost $40+ (based on what they charge for a simple lightning cable...) and I would have to outfit two cars, two work desks, and perhaps other places throughout the house.

This is of course if they don't somehow give us long range wireless, which sounds great on paper (I can't discuss beyond that since I don't know much).

 

[amb*]

If Android hasn't done it yet, there is no way Apple will with how heavily they still utilize iTunes to manage things on your iPhone. I bet 95% of Android users never even connect their phone to their computer besides to charge, opposed to Apple where it's almost a requirement that you have iTunes installed and plug it in at least every now and then.

I haven't connected my iPhone to a computer in years. OTA updates, iCloud, and syncing music/photos wirelessly covers everything I need on my phone.

 

[geoff5093]

I haven't connected my iPhone to a computer in years. OTA updates, iCloud, and syncing music/photos wirelessly covers everything I need on my phone.

What about the first time you get your phone?

 

[boomhower]

If they lose the lightning port I'm OK as long as they go with USB-C. If they go portless they will lose me. I work in a car on 12 hours shifts. Having to mount the phone to charge it in the car is nuts. They better perfect their near range wireless charging if they go that route.

 

[amb*]

What about the first time you get your phone?

I swap the SIM card and restore the new phone from an iCloud backup over WiFi. Anyone switching from Android can setup the phone from scratch without connecting to iTunes, too.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

There will have to be a physical connection of some type, until a new tech presents itself. If for nothing less than the ability to restore bricked devices, aka dfu mode. For example the recent iOS 10 updated bricked iOS 9 devices, and required a dfu restore.

 

[miss.manson]

If Android hasn't done it yet, there is no way Apple will with how heavily they still utilize iTunes to manage things on your iPhone. I bet 95% of Android users never even connect their phone to their computer besides to charge, opposed to Apple where it's almost a requirement that you have iTunes installed and plug it in at least every now and then.

Yeah...no I haven't used iTunes in years for my iPhone. For my iPod Classic I use it quite often.

 

[Shirasaki]

I just don't get it. Uh, this is how many times I say this? Wireless is NOT the future.

And wireless electricity transmission is still something in laboratory. I mean, not current inductive charging form of "wireless", but fill a space with electromagnetic wave which can be used to charge device. I do not accept wireless charging if I need a pad to do so.

If Apple cuts off lightening cable that's perfectly fine, as long as I can load anything I want to load to my device without reliance on cloud services.

 

[Alexrat1996]

They already got rid of the 3.5 jack, if they go wireless charging they could eliminate the lightning port all together and force everyone to buy $159 airpods that they could lose within a week (cha ching)......... just sayin.

or beats by dre

 

[AlphaHumanus]

Could simple contact points work for information syncing? Is the male/female concept necessary?

Say the bottom frame of the phone is a contact point, and you set the phone in a dock to sync/diagnostics/etc. your dock can be connected, via lightning even.

I'm gunning for wireless charging via a case. Same concept as Airpods.

 

[daviddth]

I hope not. I charge my iPhone at home 50% of the time, and the other 50% is at work and in the car. I don't want to have to remember some wireless charging pad in both locations when a simple $5 cord will do. I'm all for wireless charging and wireless sync, but I still think you need a cheap and easy charging solution for simplicity

 

[geoff5093]

Yeah...no I haven't used iTunes in years for my iPhone. For my iPod Classic I use it quite often.

Even when you first got your iPhone? Apple doesn't make it easy to transfer large amounts of media without using the cable

 

[Michael CM1]

Rumors and a certain patent filing suggest Apple future iPhones will be portless in the sense we have become accustomed to. Let's discuss the impact.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspe...t-massive-gamble-lightning-port/#41db9ea03538

It's a Forbes contributor. Don't take those things seriously or as huffingly and puffingly as the writer does. This is prime huntin' grounds for the Macalope.

Apple is pretty obviously trying to develop a phone that could ditch every port and cable. That's what R&D does. I don't even know if it's scientifically possible to charge a phone in a method similar to getting data over WiFi. I mean I know you could do that, but I don't know whether it would be safe and work well enough to use widescale.

If Apple (or anybody else) figures out a way to create wireless charging that doesn't require special mats and for you to place your phone exactly in a little spot, it will be a magical day to be celebrated. If that's done, I would expect Apple to introduce a different line of iPhones called something like iPhone Air because that would definitely be a huge change for many. I see a rollout comparable to the introduction of the new MacBook a year or so ago. The ultra-thin, ultra-light, one-port computer isn't for everyone yet. But now it's out there and Apple and other PC makers can see what the market is for it.

 

[miss.manson]

Even when you first got your iPhone? Apple doesn't make it easy to transfer large amounts of media without using the cable

Nope. I use iCloud for that.

 

[daviddth]

Nope. I use iCloud for that.

Darn I have over 100GB on my current phone - iCloud is not going to cut it, where as iTunes works fine. I only use iTunes to put movies and music on the phone - the Pics are downloaded on a PC and the contacts etc are backed up to iCloud

 

[geoff5093]

Nope. I use iCloud for that.

5GB I snt enough for most of us

 

[miss.manson]

5GB I snt enough for most of us

I have 1tb of iCloud storage.

 

[nasa25]

Only issue for me would be playing music in my car. I guess a lightning adapter that can communicate with the port less phone would be an acceptable work around.

 

[daviddth]

I have 1tb of iCloud storage.

I cant see the point paying for storage I don't need, and in reality simply cant use. It's only in recent times that we even get half decent quotas on mobile, my 2YO plan had just 3.5GB, the next one, when my phone eventually gets here, has 10GB. To fill my existing phone it would take almost a year worth of my upcoming quota... My home internet is pathetically slow, with 1TB probably taking about a whole month of 24/7 downloading, and to put it up there would take 4-5 months of 24/7 uploading

Yep 1TB online is a joke for most places, but if it works for you great.

 

[anthonymoody]

Even when you first got your iPhone? Apple doesn't make it easy to transfer large amounts of media without using the cable

Meh. I literally can't remember the last time I plugged a phone in to my mac. With 100GB of gack, I just let it sit overnight the first night and poof everything is there in the morning. That first day, anything I want to listen to or watch can just be prioritized as a download then and there, or just streamed.

Besides, I'm usually way too busy playing with new features to do much watching/listening.
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I cant see the point paying for storage I don't need, and in reality simply cant use. It's only in recent times that we even get half decent quotas on mobile, my 2YO plan had just 3.5GB, the next one, when my phone eventually gets here, has 10GB. To fill my existing phone it would take almost a year worth of my upcoming quota... My home internet is pathetically slow, with 1TB probably taking about a whole month of 24/7 downloading, and to put it up there would take 4-5 months of 24/7 uploading

Yep 1TB online is a joke for most places, but if it works for you great.

That's the issue. Mine is fast, so no similar issues.

As for 1TB, the other bottleneck of course is the phone itself, with the largest now having 256GB of storage (not all of which can be used of course).

Between music, movies, documents, and - biggest of all - photos, I have nearly 1TB of stuff in iCloud (backed up with multiple additional services, and of course locally).

I keep about 100GB on my phone on a rotating basis.

 

[jr866gooner]

Also we must put into the equation that a wireless iPhone introduces wireless charging. How could it be different from the Samsung wireless solution? From what I understand, it's somewhat clunky. Is that true?

Many folks like me use iPhones as the front end for Hi-Resolution music and depend on some type of physical connection for headphones and DAC/Amps.

I'm all for wireless solutions but the technology needs further improving especially for those who enjoy high quality music. Count me in as curious in how Apple plans to address this if they decide to address it at all.

I have a Samsung s6 and I must wireless charging is nowhere near as stable as wired charging. On occasion I've found it tricky to hit the sweet spot and woken to a partially charged phone. Not a deal breaker but wireless charging does save faffing for a cable in the dark and fumbling for the hole on the device.

 

[daviddth]

Between music, movies, documents, and - biggest of all - photos, I have nearly 1TB of stuff in iCloud (backed up with multiple additional services, and of course locally).

For a lot of people the photo's are a big issue and space hog. I'm a photographer so I am so used to downloading images, storing them on my PC, an offsite backup, and the shed storage file server, adding the iPhone to that mix is not an issue. I don't NEED 3 years of images on my phone, but I do keep a hundred or so on there that I do look at regularly.

 

[Taco1933]

If Android hasn't done it yet, there is no way Apple will with how heavily they still utilize iTunes to manage things on your iPhone. I bet 95% of Android users never even connect their phone to their computer besides to charge, opposed to Apple where it's almost a requirement that you have iTunes installed and plug it in at least every now and then.

Do they though? I don't think I ever plugged my 6 into my computer at all. Never found the need. Absolutely everything seems to be done through iCloud now. Even my pictures auto sync to all my devices.

Not that I'm a proponent of ditching the lightning port or anything. I still like my wired headphones, and it is always nice to have hardware solutions to software problems.

 

[anthonymoody]

For a lot of people the photo's are a big issue and space hog. I'm a photographer so I am so used to downloading images, storing them on my PC, an offsite backup, and the shed storage file server, adding the iPhone to that mix is not an issue. I don't NEED 3 years of images on my phone, but I do keep a hundred or so on there that I do look at regularly.

Apple's "keep a thumbnail/low res local and download full version as needed" or whatever they call it has opened up a LOT more space on my phone for other stuff.

 

[wwohl]

It is possible I guess? I mean if Apple wants to go wireless completely. Could have just wireless charging.

Portless will come, but its not that close. Currently wireless charging speeds are no where close to wired connections. In addition, a wireless charging pad is significantly more expensive to manufacture than a cable. For that reason, it will likely remain an accessory that customers can add at their decision.