Many smartphones have already made the switch to using a USB-C port due to a range of benefits it brings over Micro-USB. Apple has so far stuck to using a Lightning port on the iPhone, and apparently that isn’t going to change.
As AppleInsider reports, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently wrote a specifications forecast regarding future iPhone models. As part of that forecast Kuo noted, “The market expects the iPhone to abandon Lightning in favor of USB-C and equip the power button with the Touch ID sensor … Our latest survey indicates that there is no visibility on the current schedule for the iPhone to adopt these two new specifications.”
So regardless of how much consumers may desire a switch to USB-C, it looks as though Apple is set to continue relying on Lightning. As to why, Kuo believes it mainly comes down to the impact switching to USB-C would have on the profitable Made for iPhone (MFi) program. USB-C also carries a lower specification for waterproofing than Lightning, so in that sense it would be a downgrade for the iPhone.
Kuo goes on to suggest that instead of switching, Apple could just continue to use Lightning until it is ready to ship a portless iPhone that’s totally reliant on MagSafe for charging. We’ve already seen a few portless smartphone designs appearing, but as happened with the headphone jack, it’s not until Apple decides to do it that everyone else follows.
