Will the new MBP Get a Lightning Port?

[Mac 128]

Time to place those bets.

The benefits are that:

1) It becomes a charging method using the same cable the iPhone uses, leaving the USB-C port free for peripherals.

2) It serves as a natively compatible headphone jack for the iPhone's Lightning headphones allowing iPhone 7 users to actually use their Lightning headphones on their Macs.

3) It serves an optional USB 3 port leaving the USB-C port free for something else to be used at the same time without a hub. This is especially important for the Retina MacBook, which will lose its headphone jack.

4) It allows Apple to simplify its adapter lineup by offering Lightning only adapters for common functions like SDXC card readers, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI ports, etc. It also allows a customer to immediately use any Lightning adapters they already own, where the prospect of buying a lot of USB-C adapters is a deterrent.

Will Apple do it? It paves the way to remove the headphone jack down the line on all Macs, as rumored, using what they have established as an Apple standard audio interface. There has also to date, been no hint of a Lightning headphone adapter to anything else, including USB-C -- much less 3.5mm.

What do you think?

 

[/V\acpower]

I don't think so, simply because lightning probably can't support the kind of power needed to charge a laptop like the MacBook Pro.

 

[T5BRICK]

Lightning is going away eventually. Apple wants everyone to go wireless.

 

[wegster]

It's not a bad idea for the 'transition period' (if/when Apple does wireless charging AND data, or goes USB-C on their phones), but I'm going with No on this one (but would be fine if they did).

 

[jav6454]

Time to place those bets.

The benefits are that:

1) It becomes a charging method using the same cable the iPhone uses, leaving the USB-C port free for peripherals.

Lightning to Lightning? Nope. Great idea.

2) It serves as a natively compatible headphone jack for the iPhone's Lightning headphones allowing iPhone 7 users to actually use their Lightning headphones on their Macs.

This does sound better.

3) It serves an optional USB 3 port leaving the USB-C port free for something else to be used at the same time without a hub. This is especially important for the Retina MacBook, which will lose its headphone jack.

Not many peripherals use full USB to Lightning.

4) It allows Apple to simplify its adapter lineup by offering Lightning only adapters for common functions like SDXC card readers, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI ports, etc. It also allows a customer to immediately use any Lightning adapters they already own, where the prospect of buying a lot of USB-C adapters is a deterrent.

Will Apple do it? It paves the way to remove the headphone jack down the line on all Macs, as rumored, using what they have established as an Apple standard audio interface. There has also to date, been no hint of a Lightning headphone adapter to anything else, including USB-C -- much less 3.5mm.

What do you think?

For what I can gather the Lightning won't come to a Mac. Nice applications and space reductions, but USB-C can achieve those.

 

[thats all folks]

no need for it on any Macs as the iPhone 8 will shift to USB C, with a dongle to lightening.

 

[Fishrrman]

Easy answer to this one:
NO.

 

[SDAVE]

No.

It will use USB-C and they will dump MagSafe.

USB-C can pass through up to 100w which is more than enough for MacBook Pros.

 

[Mac 128]

Last chance to get in on the betting! ;-)

 

[xmonkey]

My Magic 8 ball says 'Don't count on it'.

(although I don't think it's a bad idea)

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

Does anything use Lightning other than iOS devices and Darth Sidious?

 

[Mac 128]

Does anything use Lightning other than iOS devices and Darth Sidious?

The Mac peripherals: Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad; as well as the TV remote. Add to that the Pencil which is limited to iOS at the moment, but certainly has broader application for Macs as well. Some Beats headphones and speakers products use Lightning too.

 

[JTToft]

Does anything use Lightning other than iOS devices and Darth Sidious?

The Mac peripherals: Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad; as well as the TV remote. Add to that the Pencil which is limited to iOS at the moment, but certainly has broader application for Macs as well. Some Beats headphones and speakers products use Lightning too.

- AirPods charging case, too.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

So basically just for charging? Do these cables not come with a USB on the other end? I'm failing to see the benefit of having lighting both ends to just charge a few devices when the cables already exist.

 

[Mac 128]

So basically just for charging? Do these cables not come with a USB on the other end? I'm failing to see the benefit of having lighting both ends to just charge a few devices when the cables already exist.

Who said anything about Lightning on both ends?

You'd use the same Lightning cable with USB on the other end to charge the MacBook as the iPhone/iPad. Or the port would be used for a pair of Lightning headphones, or an iOS device like the Pencil, which may be used with the Mac in the near future (if not tomorrow), or any of the numerous Lightning adapters and accessories, which make buying a MacBook requiring USB-C adapters and accessories easier to swallow for those that work on both iOS and OS X, especially if someone already has them.

 

[OllyW]

Well the new MacBook Pros are under fire for being too expensive but at least you haven't got to buy a dongle to use your headphones.

 

[Mac 128]

Well the new MacBook Pros are under fire for being too expensive but at least you haven't got to buy a dongle to use your headphones.

True. But there is no way yet available, or even discussed to use Lightning headphones on the MacBook. Now that the other shoe has dropped so to speak, I wonder if we're going to start seeing Lightning to USB-C headphone adapters coming to market?

It's a little nuts really, only one of the W1 chipped headphones is for sale for cross platform use between an iPhone 7 and MacBook, with no ETA for the others in sight; and no way to use Lightning headphones on a MacBook; which means that someone wanting to use a single pair of headphones on their iPhone 7 and MacBook, will need to use an old pair of 3.5mm headphones with the 3.5mm to Lightning adapter.

Well that transition went smoothly. Good thing the Note 7 started spontaneously combusting!

 

[jav6454]

True. [...] Good thing the Note 7 started spontaneously combusting!

You got a Lightning port, as a separate dongle...

 

[Mac 128]

You got a Lightning port, as a separate dongle...

Link to this dongle, please?

 

[jav6454]

Link to this dongle, please?

I was wrong, it's not a dongle, it's just another cable to keep track off...

Click Me Quite expensive I might add....

 

[JTToft]

I was wrong, it's not a dongle, it's just another cable to keep track off...

Click Me Quite expensive I might add....

- That's a male plug, not a female port.