Kuo: Apple to Launch 'Completely Wireless' iPhone Without Lightning Connector and 'iPhone SE 2 Plus' With Touch ID Power Button in 2021

[Ntombi]

Fair enough. But (wired) CarPlay has only started reaching popular acceptance (both by Apple consumers as well as auto manufacturers) only within the last 2 years, and the default had been wired (USB) CarPlay connections. As of early 2019, you still had top-brand car manufacturers making them available for the first time. As you have attested, Wireless CarPlay is still a niche high-end option for most.

I do buy the eventuality that Apple will transition to wireless iPhones. But IMHO neither the market, nor the mass of Apple customers, are ready for that transition yet. Give it another 3+ years, and then maybe the migration towards 100% wireless will be more feasible.

I’m planning to keep my car for at least another 5 years, which is why I made the choice I did. It’s a 2007 Toyota that just hit 100,000 miles, and I added an “iPod adapter” to it ten years ago (with a 30-pin connector), and just upgraded the whole thing to wireless CarPlay.

It makes sense for me to think more than a couple of years ahead, and to go wireless. Even if Kuo is a year or two off, I’d still have made the right choice. If someone were the type to get a new car every few years, then I could see the argument both ways.

 

[Wonder Warthog]

I can see this happening.
We have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connectivity along with wireless charging.
There really isn't much need for any kind of port.

Unless you want to record audio with a proper mic, connect any kind of useful hardware that shouldn't lag AF like Bluetooth always does…
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iPhone SE 2 Plus, which now has NOTHING to do with the SE. The two points for having an SE are the beautiful design and the very small size factor. If they offer an iPhone SE 2 Plus that is way larger than the SE and has a different design, they might as well offer a Toaster branded MacBook Pro Plus, that would make just as much sense.

 

[vipergts2207]

I suppose we can all look forward to having to send our iPhones to Apple when they launch a bad update like they did with the HomePod recently.

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/10/28/new-13-2-update-bricking-some-homepods/

 

[Whathappened]

Sucks for me my CarPlay is dependent on my lightning cord.

You ask for a faster horse...
Currently(!) your CarPlay is dependent on lighting. There will be (3rd party?) solutions for your issue.
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Unless you want to record audio with a proper mic, connect any kind of useful hardware that shouldn't lag AF like Bluetooth always does…
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iPhone SE 2 Plus, which now has NOTHING to do with the SE. The two points for having an SE are the beautiful design and the very small size factor. If they offer an iPhone SE 2 Plus that is way larger than the SE and has a different design, they might as well offer a Toaster branded MacBook Pro Plus, that would make just as much sense.

Erm..no, because many people don’t care about internal hardware, ram and blabla but like to have a large screen.
I wonder why they bring a small se at all in 2020. Aside from some hardcore nerds in forums I don’t know anyone who’d go back to a small screen after having a regular iPhone.

 

[iPadified]

I wonder if the reactions where the same for dropping the floppy drive and DVD? Essentials that we have learn to live without.

Considering improvements in battery life, we will get less and less dependent on charging on the go. The Nobel laureate getting the prize for Li batteries said the other day the next gen batteries is around the corner (a few years) having double the capacity and half the price.

Ports and cables are the IT industry biggest failure in term of usability and consistency. Have you seen the adapter madness in a well equipped auditorium? Stupidity beyond any measure.

 

[Whathappened]

I suppose we can all look forward to having to send our iPhones to Apple when they launch a bad update like they did with the HomePod recently.

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/10/28/new-13-2-update-bricking-some-homepods/

Something that never happened to 99.9% of iPhone owners and can be easily solved by changing the way to access dfu mode.

 

[jole]

Maybe they finally adopt long range wireless charging: https://www.energous.com/

 

[JulianL]

How will this work for people who use the camera adapter for music processing where even low latency AptX Bluetooth has too much lag for guitar stuff like BiasFX? Will Apple introduce someone sort of super low latency wireless capability into the 2021 range that can talk to a wireless camera adapter so that effects stuff can still be done or will they simply consider the iPhone as no longer in that market so music stuff becomes iPad only?

My other concern would be travelling light. Right now it’s not much space to pack a sugar-cube adaptor and a tiny key-ring charging cable. For those of us who travel a lot and have honed our travelling-light kit as much as we can carrying a wireless charger adds bulk. To Apple’s credit they have counteracted that a bit with the spectacular increase in battery live on the 11 Pro models, I can now travel for 2 days without worrying about taking any charger at all, but for longer trips it would become a pain to need to pack a wireless setup; right now my travel charger kit lives permanently in my travel wash bag that is probably not much bigger than a stack of 5 or 6 CDs. Hopefully the market will respond by creating some super-compact wireless chargers intended purely for travel. It might be interesting to see what clever designs emerge.

 

[LoganT]

This isn’t something I’m worried about. I’d imagine that if Apple does remove the port they’re gonna have a solution for things like external microphones.

Apple has advertised the fact that people do things like record podcasts on the iPhone, so I can’t imagine them not coming up with a better alternative.

The problem is we’re imagining this from where we currently are, rather than the future. Just because there isn’t a plug that you plug into doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be a connection somehow.

Who knows, maybe Apple is developing some kind of high speed magnetic connection. No, I don’t know if that’s possible. My point is whatever Apple decides to do will have a stopgap for people who are reliant on the lighting port.

 

[iRutherford]

Why not release an even higher-end model with no display?

They released a new tablet that does just that and it's called the Apple Music Award.

 

[paul4339]

The Smart Connector on the iPad today offers power to the keyboard, and inputs data to iPad... like the next evolution of MagSafe except with bilateral data.

This will make iPhone ‘portless’ but still have the benefits of wires if you want.

 

[Soccertess]

Sucks for me my CarPlay is dependent on my lightning cord.

That will be a huge draw back. I suspect people will hold on to their phones even longer if they can't easily hook up to their car.

Bluetooth drains the battery so hopefully Apple has a plan. This is Tim we are talking about, I'm sure he has a delicate dongle that will break every year. It's how he roles!

 

[danny842003]

I would prefer a port but if it happens they really need a dongle for the car to enable CarPlay.

 

[bobob]

Anyone who can't see that all smartphones will be like this within a decade, is clearly lacking foresight.

 

[Apple.Fanatic]

Not sure how I feel with no ports on the iPhone. It would be a clean look but like others mentioned most Apple CarPlay units require being plugged in. Also, this would suck on long flights. I usually charge my phone via USB on flights....this would be another issue.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

I can see this happening.
We have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connectivity along with wireless charging.
There really isn't much need for any kind of port.

I totally disagree. First off, there is Carplay which for whatever reason car companies still rather give a wired rather than wireless experience. And what if your car is older? Get a new car with your new phone? That doesn’t really seem practical.

Then there is the problem of being out and about and wanting to plug in somewhere to top off. For instance my husband does this as his job all the time where they have plugs at the patio tables. Now you have to find or carry a wireless charger puck? That sounds horrible.

Also horrible for some people would be the loss of wired music. Not everyone wants bluetooth ear buds.

 

[n-evo]

Here we go again, lesser camera if you don’t want the smaller model. They just did away with that with the iPhone XS and 11 Pro, only to reintroduce it next year?

 

[ksec]

On the Wireless Transfer Questions.

WiFi 6 gets you about 800Mbps in real world best case scenario on a iPhone 11. That is double the speed of your current Lightning to USB connection. And that is limited by current 802.11ax / WiFi 6 design, a 160Mhz / 80+80Mhz or opening up of 6Ghz Spectrum could allow iPhone, even with the same Antenna Config to go 1 - 2Gbps Real world.

And then there is the mmWave Antenna on the iPhone 13, 802.11ay gives you real world 10Gbps+ within line of sight, ( or maximum of 40Gbps, although I doubt that is applicable on a Smartphone ). That is faster than your USB 3.2 2x1 cable.

And none of these are Sci-Fi tech, WiFi 6 Final Approval expected to be in 2020 Jan. Its first update or WFi 6 Wave 2 or Whatever name they wished to call it is already in the work. 802.11ay is already on Draft 5, and should be entering its final draft before approval soon.

I seriously doubt Wireless Transfer Speed will be a problem on iPhone Pro 2021.

Having said that.

What happens to Mobile Gaming or CarPlay where you are required to have a constant changing iPhone? A Case where it charge the iPhone while give you the adaptor option ? ( Thinking about it doesn't sounds like a bad idea to me )



Edit:
This could also means Apple will have to bump the price again to fill the cost of Wireless Charging Pad and AirPod that should be included with iPhone Pro purchase. I see Apple dropping the 64GB in the Pro range and starts with the 256GB Price. Which is $1049 for iPhone 11 Pro, would not be surprised if that was rounded up to $1099.

 

[vipergts2207]

The Smart Connector on the iPad today offers power to the keyboard, and inputs data to iPad... like the next evolution of MagSafe except with bilateral data.

This will make iPhone ‘portless’ but still have the benefits of wires if you want.

How quickly can the smart connector throughput data? A keyboard requires minuscule amounts of data transfer. Is it capable of the throughput needed for CarPlay?

 

[Quicksilver867]

They released a new tablet that does just that and it's called the Apple Music Award.

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Highest-highest-end model won't have any actual hardware. It will be the $3000 iPhone Dream Pro, which will exist in thought only.

 

[magicschoolbus]

That will be a huge draw back. I suspect people will hold on to their phones even longer if they can't easily hook up to their car.

Bluetooth drains the battery so hopefully Apple has a plan. This is Tim we are talking about, I'm sure he has a delicate dongle that will break every year. It's how he roles!

I will not update my phone if I cannot hook into CarPlay into my car... not a single chance.. and people hold onto Cars MUCH longer then phones... so..
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Basically everyone without a BMW would have their CarPlay rendered useless. I don’t really buy this rumor. I could see USB-C and I’d welcome it at this point, but I can’t see an iPhone without a port working in 2021. Wireless charging is still much too slow as well. That’s a swing and a miss that early. This is the kind of form over function crap I thought and still hope will go away without Jony Ive. There’s no benefit to killing the port altogether; it’s not a feature. It literally will just be a huge inconvenience and make life more difficult for most users.

I'd see USB C before killing a port entirely.. and why kill a port? What gain do they have here...? More space in the chassis of the phone?

 

[tks900]

As long as there is no decent audio quality via bluetooth (i.e. CD quality maximum), I need that port. I have been struggling with Apple losing connectors since the 2016 MBP. The number of dongles I tried, used, and dismissed since then for my computers, phones and iPads is beyond belief. I get that many, probably the majority of users don't need that port, if all they would use it for is charging. But there are pro-users out there who use their phones as tools for their work and semi-professional hobbies. The MacPro is for pros, right? And it has all the ports. Let the iPhone Pro keep at least one (and let it be USB-C).

 

[Vjosullivan]

I see the practicality of removing the port, but sucks for me as I use that port for external microphones and audio interfaces when field recording.

I'm sure it won't be long before we see a wireless dongle adapter for the iPhone.

 

[jlc1978]

Lol. List all the 2020 cars that come with wireless CarPlay.

• Audi A6 (2019 and newer)
• Audi A7 (2019 and newer)
• Audi A8 (2019 and newer)
• Audi Q8 (2019 and newer)
• Audi e-tron SUV (2020 and newer)
• BMW 5 Series (2017 and newer)
• BMW 3 Series (2018 and newer)
• 2019 BMW range
• Lamborghini Urus (2017 and newer)
• Mercedes A-Class (2018 and newer)
• Mercedes GLE (2019 and newer)
• 2019 Mini range
• Toyota Supra (2020 and newer)

 

[tks900]

I'm sure it won't be long before we see a wireless dongle adapter for the iPhone.

Yeah. Can't wait to see how that works with wired headphones on-the-go. Just lay your phone flat on the wireless connector (which is, I assume, in your pocket) with said wireless connector featuring a headphone jack.