We’ve known that the iPhone is switching to USB-C for a while now, but there was always a possibility that Apple would stick with Lightning for one more year. Based on the latest leaked images, however, Apple is all-in on USB-C for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models, with USB-C parts for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all shown in a leaked image by X user fix Apple.
With the switch to USB-C, nearly all of Apple’s devices will have adopted the new standard, with only AirPods, Mac accessories, and the iPhone SE remaining aside from older iPhones and the 9th-gen iPad.
USBC is a hot god damned mess.
The C describes only the shape of the connector.
The numbered specification (“2.0”, “3.0”) describes the speed.
But USBC can also do non-USB protocols like HDMI and Thunderbolt and DisplayPort.
This is why I haven’t really been clamoring for this change. USB-C SUPPORTS cool things, but doesn’t guarantee that it’ll be available to use. Most of the time that’s a silent fallback, but I’ve seen a lot of odd things with USB-C cables and chargers in the past, all followed the standard, the standard just allows for only supporting partial feature sets.
At least with Lightning I know what I’m getting. I’ve got usb-c cables that don’t support 1.1 data lines for keyboards or mice, yet pass 40gbit. I’ve got chargers that support, in fine print, high output at 5v, 9v and 20v, but plug a 12v device in and it negotiates it down to 5v. Etc. and these are all brand name things. I even have a cable that supports more if you flip It over than it does on the other side.
I really hope D is better, but I also kinda hope they don’t call it D…
Things got better as manufacturers now implement the standard correctly.
Nowadays you can plug any device to any charger and the worse that can happen is your device not charging fast enough (sometimes actually discharging).
So if you get a powerful enough charger, you’ll be able to charge all your devices.
And yes, you can also do video out and for that you need to check the compatibility of your devices but it’s still not that bad, compared to the days where you could fry a device by using the wrong charger.