The iPhone 15 finally has something we’ve all been waiting for: a USB-C port. AirPods Pro 2 are also receiving USB-C via an updated charging case. This is great news, but it makes us wonder which other products could at last ditch the aging Lightning port. We might get an answer soon if a recent report is true.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Apple tipster and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman (via iMore) announced that the Cupertino-based tech giant would update the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with a USB-C port. These products will allegedly launch alongside the rumored iMac 2023.
Gurman has previously claimed that Apple would launch new Macs in October 2023 but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple might not release new M3 MacBooks in 2023. However, it’s still possible Apple could announce a new iMac featuring the rumored M3 chip in October, as previous rumors claimed. If this pans out, maybe we’ll also see announcements for updated Apple peripherals featuring USB-C ports.
On the Lightning to USB-C front, Gurman also stated that the regular AirPods would be getting USB-C charging sometime in 2024. For the updated AirPods Pro 2, Apple is forcing you to buy an entirely new set of wireless earbuds instead of selling the new USB-C charging case on its own — which is extremely disappointing. It’s unclear whether the alleged updated version of the regular AirPods will do the same thing.
Outlook
Even if an EU ruling hadn’t forced Apple to adopt USB-C iPhone charging, it was long past time the company abandoned the ancient Lightning port for the all-but ubiquitous USB-C port. This move might not sound like a big deal, but it’s one of the primary reasons I’m about to upgrade from an iPhone 13 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro.
Now that Apple has begrudgingly removed the Lightning port from iPhones, it makes sense the company would completely phase the port out of any future products that would have otherwise featured Lightning. That isn’t official at the moment, so we’ll have to wait and see what Apple’s next move will be.
If Apple could also place the Magic Mouse's port to anywhere but its bottom, that'd be fantastic too. But that's a story for another day...
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