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All three AirPods models and Mac accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad are likely to transition to USB-C by 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

airpods-usb-c-ken-pillonel.jpg
AirPods Charging Case with USB-C port by Ken Pillonel.

Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved a new directive to force manufacturers to offer USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of devices in Europe by the end of 2024. In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has been preparing to make changes to its devices to meet these new legal requirements.

Gurman believes that Apple will beat the legislation's date of application in late 2024 with most of its products. The iPhone 15, he claims, will beat the EU's mandate by a year, featuring a USB-C port in the fall of 2023. The entry level iPad, the only iPad to still feature a Lightning connector should switch to USB-C by the end of this year.

Gurman speculated that if Apple releases a new iPhone SE model in March 2024 with a Lightning port instead of a USB-C port, it will be in compliance with EU law since it would launch before the end of the year – but any new iPhone SE model released in 2025 or 2026 would need to feature USB-C.

Gurman noted that all AirPods models, as well as the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad will need to make the switch when new versions are released. He anticipates several major Mac updates next year, including a new iMac and a Mac Pro, and said that "one could probably assume that move coincides with accessory updates."

Despite the switch to USB-C across Apple's family of products, Gurman said that he thinks the USB-C era will be far shorter than the tenure of the 30-pin iPod connector or Lightning, "at least for Apple's mobile devices." The iPod connector and Lightning will have been on new Apple devices for around 11 years each before they were phased out, and Gurman still believes that "Apple's future is wireless and that some version of the canceled AirPower dream from 2017 will still eventually come to fruition – well before a decade from now."

He added that "at some point in the next few years," Apple will probably begin transitioning entirely to inductive charging on the iPhone and the iPad, a move that largely exempts the devices from EU law mandating a the inclusion of a USB-C port.

Article Link: Gurman: AirPods and Mac Accessories Likely to Switch to USB-C by 2024
 
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What if Apple invents a port that can somehow accomodate lightning and usb C/thunderbolt?
that makes no sense at all.

Lightning on iPhone is a female connector with male cable. USB C ports are male with female connectors.

they are totally different. if apple were to keep the lightning port they'd need to make a USB cable that had connectors on the outside of a USB C cable. if they made a USB C port they'd need to use a lightning cable with that was bigger with a section for the USB connector to insert into.

spot the difference (usb c is the top, lightning is the bottom):

iu
 
What if Apple invents a port that can somehow accomodate lightning and usb C/thunderbolt?

Like the USB-A that had the tongue that could go both ways? I've never seen one, and wouldn't trust it to last very long.

And adapters? I had to get a lightning adapter for the gen 1 Pencil, because it is way too easy to lose that little thing...
 
IMHO government mandates on ports will only stifle innovation. Why would anyone try to make something better than a USB-C when they have a massive hill to climb in order for it to be implemented.
usb c can be revised...

i mean usb a is still used today and has gone from very slow speeds and will go to USB 4 speeds and beyond

usb c should be the standard form factor and it can be revised over time in terms of specs. it has already went through a good few revisions.

if A is still here today then it'll literally take decades for C to become obsolete. alright in maybe 20 or so years we might need a new cable but it's better to only update every 20 or so years than every 5-10 years.
 
that makes no sense at all.

Lightning on iPhone is a female connector with male cable. USB C ports are male with female connectors.

they are totally different. if apple were to keep the lightning port they'd need to make a USB cable that had connectors on the outside of a USB C cable. if they made a USB C port they'd need to use a lightning cable with that was bigger with a section for the USB connector to insert into.

spot the difference (usb c is the top, lightning is the bottom):

iu

Many vendors came out with 'multi-species' cables that had one connector on one end, and three 'leashed' pop-on connectors that plugin to the other end to allow for it to be used with a variety of different devices. My experience was that the Lightning end always burned out, and I'd have to snip it off because it wouldn't work with so many contacts burned out. Yeah, adapters don't last. The Lightning connector is rather poorly designed. I have never seen a USB cable burned out, and have tossed at least a dozen Lightning ended cables hopelessly burned out. Apple SHOULD dump Lightning. Dump it now...
 
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usb c can be revised...

Obviously.

My point is that under a government mandate to use port-X no single company will put any effort into making something unique, different and better because the chance they will get it accepted as the new mandate is a daunting task with only a tiny chance for return on investment. Thus innovation is stifled.

Furthermore, when has 1 size fits all ever worked out well?
 
Many vendors came out with 'multi-species' cables that had one connector on one end, and three 'leashed' pop-on connectors that plugin to the other end to allow for it to be used with a variety of different devices. My experience was that the Lightning end was always burned out, and I'd have to snip it off because it wouldn't work with so many contacts burned out. Yeah, adapters don't last. The Lightning connector is rather poorly designed. I have never seem a USB cable burned out, and have tossed at least a dozen Lightning cables hopelessly burned out. Apple SHOULD dump Lightning. Dump it now...
i know those cables and they should be ditched too because they are a result of fragmented connectors/cables. every device should go with USB-C. apple is the only major maker out there who is refusing to move over at least when it comes to iphone. they seem to think it's good enough for their macs and ipads but not iphones.

there are some devices still made with micro usb but they are usually very cheap products.
 
Obviously.

My point is that under a government mandate to use port-X no single company will put any effort into making something unique, different and better because the chance they will get it accepted as the new mandate is a daunting task. Thus innovation is stifled.

Furthermore, when has 1 size fits all ever worked out well?
maybe but in 20-30 years time the government might be convinced to change their approach and consider a new cable.

usb c is a good form factor and it will easily last decades. everyone should get on it right now. we can worry about a new cable in the future. it'll not stifle innovation.
 
IMHO government mandates on ports will only stifle innovation. Why would anyone try to make something better than a USB-C when they have a massive hill to climb in order for it to be implemented.
It's called being a standard. When everything uses it, if there is a need to change it, it will change, otherwise we don't need 10 different connectors for devices.

When was the last time the AC outlet in your home was upgraded to something different? Aren't you happy there aren't 10 different types of residential AC outlets in your country?
 
It's obvious this is the direction Apple has been headed towards for awhile. By taking their time and introducing other usb-c devices (and usb-c ended cabling), by the time their flagship device switches many people will already have usb-c chargers and cables [1].

I think people forget how mad many were when the 30 pin was dropped. They also forget how bad all other solutions were when lightning came out. Finally, people forget how bad usb-c was when it first came out to the point that the wrong cable was frying phones.

[1] Right now when I travel I bring a single usb-c dual port charger a usb-c to usb-c cable and usb-c to lightning cable. After this change, I'll bring 2x usb-c to usb-c cables - the realty is not much will change for me.
 
It's called being a standard. When everything uses it, if there is a need to change it, it will change, otherwise we don't need 10 different connectors for devices.

When was the last time the AC outlet in your home was upgraded to something different? Aren't you happy there aren't 10 different types of AC outlets in your country?

Just because something works doesn't mean it is the best implementation.

I am very sure that there is a better way to implement the common household plug in 2022 but to my point no one will ever put any thought into it because it will probably never change.
 
Just because something works doesn't mean it is the best implementation.

I am very sure that there is a better way to implement the common household plug in 2022 but to my point no one will ever put any thought into it because it will probably never change.
So back to your point, you'd rather have 50 companies all developing their "best implementation" and we're back to having too many connections again?
 
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