Comment: The way Apple praises USB-C and provides USB-C in its new iPad Mini may indicate that the iPhone ecosystem will abandon Apple's proprietary Lightning port.

Better iPhone cameras and faster chips are great, but one of the biggest improvements Apple can make on the iPhone is the addition of a USB-C port. This is why I cheered this week when I saw the signs that Apple might one day make changes.

Apple launched the iPhone 13 on Tuesday, and the company has been using the same old Lightning port since 2012. Lightning was a good idea at the time, but now USB-C is a better idea.

This is what I like about USB-C. It has a wide range of uses and is an industry standard that spans more and more electronic worlds. It transfers data at speeds up to 20 Gb/s, and with the arrival of the new USB 4 data transfer protocol, it is leaping to 40Gbps. It can charge mobile phones, tablets, PCs and any devices that require up to 100 watts of power. The upgraded 240 watts is very suitable for gaming laptops. The USB-C accessory ecosystem continues to evolve, including hubs, docking stations, keyboards, flash drives, and memory card readers.

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Apple's proprietary Lightning port was once common on its mobile devices. The first sign that Apple wants something better is that its high-end iPad Pro got USB-C in 2018, and the mid-range iPad Air got this technology in 2020. This is more likely to be justified on a tablet, which is more like a mini laptop than a mobile phone, and therefore benefits more from the ability of USB-C to connect peripherals such as keyboards and cameras. (MacBook first introduced USB-C in 2015, and this has caused some complaints because it eliminated the beloved MagSafe connector.)

Now, Apple hints that USB-C may spread. In this week's event, iPad Mini got a USB-C port, making the device more powerful and flexible. It will be more difficult to switch the iPhone to USB-C because there are already so many mobile phones and lightning chargers in use, but more and more Apple is preparing its huge customer base and product ecosystem to make this leap.

Distinguishing Apple product announcements is a bit like Cold War Kremlinism: espionage technology attempts to understand what the Soviet Union is doing by assessing which Russian officials support or not. The introduction of USB-C into certain new devices does not necessarily mean that Apple is laying the foundation for major changes in its most important product line. 

However, I think USB-C is the future of the iPhone. Although a large-scale transition is undoubtedly a huge pain, it will ultimately benefit you, the iPhone, and the planet. You will have less e-waste, iPhone will gain more utility, and the landfill will not be full of cables that are only suitable for a small part of the device.

Apple did not comment on this story.

Almost all other corners of the technological world have turned to USB-C for data and charging. Many years ago, Android phones started to use the USB-C port, and it was a fixed device in a Windows PC. The price premium of USB-C accessories is also falling.

I use USB-C for external drives, earbuds, headphones, flash card readers, two laptop docking stations, Nintendo Switch and its Joy-Cons, iPad, Android phones, hardware security keys, home Macs, Microsoft Surface Laptop and Google Pixel Slate. Two cars and four rooms in my house have USB-C chargers. On the road, I use a portable battery with a USB-C port.

The pesky lightning cable that my iPhone needs is getting more and more inappropriate. Lightning is the perfect replacement for the iPhone’s old, bulky 30-pin connector and old USB options. Now USB-C is a better choice.

Apple also saw the benefits. iPad product manager Katie MacDonald said on Tuesday that the iPad Mini’s USB-C connector is 10 times faster than Lightning and can “connect to a huge USB-C accessory ecosystem”. This is very useful for everything from amateur photographers to medical staff who use the Butterfly portable ultrasound scanner to scan patients.

The USB-C iPhone can also ease the tension between Apple and European regulators. European regulators hope that mobile phones use the same charging equipment so that there is not too much electronic waste.

If you fill the 1TB storage space of the $1,599 iPhone 13 Pro Max with high-end ProRes videos, you might like faster data transfer technology than Lightning. If Apple signed another iPhone endorsement contract with cinematographer Greig Fraser, he would not have to use the clumsy Lightning dongle on the USB-C iPhone.

The USB-C connection of the iPad Mini allows it to be directly connected to the camera.

With millions of iPhones in use, it is not easy to abandon the Lightning connector. Customers have invested in chargers and cables in homes, offices and cars. Lightning is also used in AirPods charging cases and wired Apple earbuds.

Moving to USB-C means that the Lightning device must be replaced. I am getting older and I still remember the dissatisfaction when Apple abandoned its 30-pin connector, and today's Lightning is much better than the old connector in 2012.

Lightning also protects the iPhone from the growing troubles of USB-C. It is difficult to judge whether a particular cable can handle the full power and maximum data transfer speed of USB. Some of these problems still exist, but the advantages of USB outweigh them.

If the transition comes, it will force loyal iPhone fans to buy a large number of new cables, a prospect that no one will like. However, in the long run, it will be worthwhile. Now or soon, you may use USB-C to charge other devices, so switching will eventually reduce the electronic clutter in your life. It will also reduce e-waste because you need fewer cables to cover most of the equipment. You can donate old cables to people who still need them at any time.

The iPhone can go directly from the Lightning connector to no connector at all. The connector is punched in the chassis of the phone, weakening it, exposing it to the element and increasing manufacturing costs.

Wireless charging and data transmission technology is getting better and better. With Apple's iCloud, you no longer need to use a data cable plugged into your laptop to back up and sync your iPhone. The best way to transfer music from your phone to better speakers is to use Bluetooth, not a phone docking station.

However, the charging and data ports will maintain their utility. Nothing can compare to cheap copper cables for fast, private, and reliable data transmission. When you only have a few minutes of free time in the airport or car, fast charging can improve battery power better than any charging pad.

When I need to plug the cable into my phone, I will vote for USB-C.

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