iPhone Air Features 3D-Printed Titanium USB-C Port With Three Benefits

[SweeetasCinnamon]

The Air has everything I want in a phone. I want a bigger display and a lighter phone. I've gone through a ton of iPhones and this pretty much hits all of the points for me.

iPhone 5s -> 6s Plus -> 11PM -> 13PM -> 14 Pro -> 14 Plus -> 15PP -> 16 Pro -> Air (coming soon)

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Yes, some people can't handle a wireless world.

I don't know a single non-technical person who transfer files via cable from friends, extended family and even workplace. I help a company manage about 2000 iPhones and we have setup Windows to refuse data transfers via USB except for a select few people. Not one complaint.

Regular people either use iCloud Photo Library, AirDrop or share through iMessage or similar.

I'm in a heavily mixed android/iphone macos/windows world, split about 50/50, even in my household (wife and daugter use android, and windows/chromeOS). airdrop, imessage, icloud, icloud photo library...those don't work cross platform.

 

[Arghyayon]

Doesn't matter, bud. For $1,000, you should expect the device to come with technology that isn't quarter of a century old.

I’d warn you if you keep pushing this type of behavior to everyone but you know damn well that almost no one really transfers data from a phone rather you do it either from a laptop or an external hardrive (hell you can even airdrop while using wired cable connected to any M1 or later Mac or iPad from any usb-c iPhone even if it’s usb 2.0 speed). Besides it’s only you and the small minority who keep barking on this nonsense. I don’t think you have any clue about what you’re doing by forcing everyone else’s opinions. It’ll end badly for your sake.

 

[pcc1]

The USB 2.0 fetish is an upsell push for either a better phone or MacBook.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I’d warn you if you keep pushing this type of behavior to everyone but you know damn well that almost no one really transfers data from a phone rather you do it either from a laptop or an external hardrive (hell you can even airdrop while using wired cable connected to any M1 or later Mac or iPad from any usb-c iPhone even if it’s usb 2.0 speed). Besides it’s only you and the small minority who keep barking on this nonsense. I don’t think you have any clue about what you’re doing by forcing everyone else’s opinions. It’ll end badly for your sake.

While a lot that is true, based on the processor and chip choices, it seems that USB 2.0 is a software limitation, not a real one. Use-case aside, it's disappointing, as there doesn't seem to be a reason other than upselling.

 

[It’s always something]

Besides it’s only you and the small minority who keep barking on this nonsense.

It’s not nonsense. It’s like 64GB disk sizes in this day and age, which only went away for good last year thanks to AI. It’s like the 60Hz refresh rate on the iPad mini that everyone complains about. It’s idiotic to be constrained by USB 2 in 2025, whether it cramps your personal style or not.

 

[platinumaqua]

It’s not nonsense. It’s like 64GB disk sizes in this day and age, which only went away for good last year thanks to AI. It’s like the 60Hz refresh rate on the iPad mini that everyone complains about. It’s idiotic to be constrained by USB 2 in 2025, whether it cramps your personal style or not.

Especially compared to 2011/2012 Apple when they proudly announced all the USB ports are 3.0 on their Macs, back when USB 3.0 was new, and PC makers at the time were penny pinching and put only one or two 3.0 ports with the rest of the USB ports being 2.0 ports

 

[svish]

Might be environmental friendly to meet Apple’s 2030 goals. Think the port is otherwise itself strong. Would have liked to see faster speeds.

 

[MacFarmer]

Sorry for being ignorant, but could someone explain why USB speed is so important for iPhones?
I got multiple iPhones since 3GS and I have never been worried about the USB version...

Its not on my priority list, but everytime I get a new iPhone and need to upload 150gb music onto it, or just download loads of videos form photos, it takes time. I wish it would be quicker.

 

[ifxf]

I will assume that Apple has done the required research and likely found that the only people that actually care about transferring large files via this method, would buy the Pro phones. Most people just use it for charging and wouldn't even know what a USB version number meant.

It is just Apple being cheap and cutting corners on a premium device. I can see an argument can be made for a SE but even that is weak.

 

[theluggage]

Do we (the general public) have a sense of the cost difference between licensing the two USB standards?

Only that USB 3 starts appearing in $200 phones like the Motorola Edge, so the cost can't be that much & having it in a $1000 phone is hardly a big ask.

- and that the Samsung Galaxy Fold Z is thinner (when open) than the iPhone Air and manages to accommodate USB-C 3.2

- and that the iPhone 17 Pro has USB 3.2g2 uses the same A19 Pro system-on-a-chip (which is where the USB 3 controller will be) as the Air.

- and that USB 3 is only going to draw more power when it's being used so there's no downside if you're not using it.

and it being $1000 doesn’t entitle you to anything. Bud.

Really? Generally, paying money entitles you to stuff. That's not what people mean when they talk pejoratively about "entitlement".

Nobody here is asking the Powers That Be to storm Apple HQ and force them to add USB 3 to the iPhone Air. People are just commenting that, maybe, a premium-priced phone should maybe include basic, inexpensive features that are common in "economy" phones. They're entitled to do that... and, hey, guess what, people who don't like the air will buy something else - they can work that out all by themselves. They're still entitled to discuss why they didn't.

 

[theluggage]

The iPhone 15 Pro was released 15 months before the EU USB-C mandate which means the decision by Apple to add USB-C was likely made between 27-39 months before the mandate (when Apple made final decisions on the capabilities of the A17 processor).

So? The EU USB-C mandate has been on the cards since about 2018 when the EU rejected (link) the Industry's updated Memorandum of Understanding (link) (which would have adopted USB-C but kept the 'via an adapter' loophole) and was finally passed in 2022. Apple knew it was coming when they designed the A17.

Also, Apple started using the USB-C connector in Macs with the 12" MacBook in 2015 and MBPs in 2016 - yet, bizarrely, in 2016 they released new, rechargeable Keyboards/Mice/Trackpads with Lightning. They started using USB-C on iPad Pros in 2018 - at which point it would have made perfect sense to roll out USB-C everywhere, but it somehow took 6 years to make it as far as the iPhone.

In short, we'll never know how long Apple would have kept the iPhone on lightning without pressure from the EU, because that pressure has been there since forever. However, it's clear they were quite happy to keep Lightning running (inconveniently) alongside USB-C for a long time.

 

[i-Liam]

Will 100% flop like the mini.