Only three lonely products still use Apple’s Lightning Connector

It sounds like we’ve been saying goodbye to Apple’s Lightning cable for a long time, and that parting seems very close after the company’s September Glowtime event. With the launch of many devices, Apple has moved all of its products to USB-C. However, the host interface we know so well is still lurking in the corners of its product line if you look hard enough. But for how long?

It’s no secret that Apple’s switch to USB-C felt sloppy and disorganized — WIRED writer Andrew Williams even penned a heartfelt note for Lightning back in 2020. Although well, here we are in 2024, with a few Lightning products still around.

So how did we get here? The Lightning connector was first announced in 2012 alongside the iPhone 5 as a replacement for yet another proprietary charger – the 30-pin connector that is powerful and prone to failure. Not only was the Lightning much smaller, it made more room inside the device for other components (like bigger batteries), it also raised the bar for durability. It was also reversible, so whichever way you hooked it up, it would fit.

However, stock chargers have also given Apple control. Each Lightning connector has a small Apple chip in it to help control power, and while that can be said to improve safety, it’s also allowed the company to collect licensing fees from manufacturers of third-party devices, using the Lightning port by the Made company. for the iPhone program. It’s easy to see why one would want to stick to a budget as long as possible.

Having said that, the stable migration to USB-C actually started with Apple itself, in 2018 with the iPad Pro. In 2020, the iPad Air followed suit, and then the iPad Mini in 2021. Whether Apple would have finally moved iPhones, we will never know, because in 2022 the European Union intervened’ and passed a law that mentions telephones. , cameras, and tablets sold locally was packing a USB-C port later this year. Apple said it would comply, but was unhappy about it, saying such strict rules “stifle innovation.”

Whether the company ever truly admits it or not, the switch to USB-C doesn’t seem to have held Apple back. At its Glowtime hardware event, it took the opportunity to transition the rest of the AirPods family to USB-C—in the end to improve the AirPods Max in design and bring it to the new AirPods 4, too. So what Lightning products are left?

In addition to older, older iPhones and the original Apple Pencil still on sale, the latest products on sale that boast Lightning connectivity are the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. It is possible that these Mac devices will also be upgraded with USB-C by the end of the year.

According to the newspaper Power On, Bloomberg.s Mark Gurman expects that Apple will hold another event in October to announce the iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, and new iPad models powered by the M4. It would make sense for the company to bundle updated versions of the keyboard, mouse and trackpad then.

As for the legacy of the original Apple Pencil, it may eventually be discontinued as well. At this point, having four different styli to choose from is overkill — especially when one of them requires removing the cap and awkwardly inserting it into the port. of the (old) Lightning iPad to charge it.

But it may take a little longer for Apple to release the remaining iPhones from its stores. With this year’s iPhone event now over, it’s possible we won’t see these models off the shelves until next September — with the possibility that the company could announce the long-awaited iPhone SE, which comes with USB-C, too.

Regardless, it means the Lightning cable is still in the Apple universe, for now at least. But the end is nigh, and 2025 may finally be the year that Lightning heads for a major space recovery.