Apple has been using the Lightning connector for iPhones, iPads and accessories for ten years. The new iPhone 14 also comes with the outdated port.
Hardly any Apple product has seen as little innovation as the Lightning cable. Virtually nothing has changed since its launch in 2012. The only innovation on the market in a decade was the jump from USB-A to USB-C at the other end of the Lightning cable. The connection itself has always been the same.
Lightning in the iPhone is anything but lightning fast
The outdated Lightning connector causes problems for users. It supports a maximum transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps). This corresponds to the USB 2.0 standard from the year 2000. For comparison: the Samsung Galaxy S22 supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 with a transfer rate of 5 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). That’s more than ten times faster than Lightning.
For users, this means that data transfer to Mac or PC is very slow. Many people now save their photos and videos in the iCloud. But especially those who use their iPhones as film cameras are severely restricted. Because the clips have to be transferred to the computer for further processing – and that takes time. Just a minute of footage in Apple’s ProRes format and 4K resolution at 30 frames per second is between 6 and 8 gigabytes in size. With Lightning, the transfer of a ten-minute video takes at least about 17 minutes in theory – in practice it is even much longer. Even with USB 3.2 Gen 1, the slowest USB 3.2 standard, it would be just 1.6 minutes. Ridiculous 12 seconds with USB 4 in the current iPad Pro.
Almost all Apple devices now use USB-C
Speaking of which, the iPad is another argument why Apple should discontinue Lightning. The iPad Pro has been available with USB-C and fast transfer rates since 2018. The iPad Air since 2020 and recently the iPad mini since 2021 also have USB-C instead of Lightning. Only the standard iPad still uses the old connection.
Apple’s MacBooks, Macs, and iMacs have been using USB-C since 2012 and never got the Lightning connector in the first place. Accordingly, Mac accessories such as Studio Display and Pro Display XDR also run via USB-C. Apple’s Beats line of headphones also has USB-C ports only.
Apple is only undeterred in its use of Lightning for a few accessories. Not only AirPods, but also Mac accessories like Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse use this connector.
Apple’s ecosystem is severely divided as a result. Mac users have to carry a Lightning cable for certain accessories. iPhone users will also need a USB-C cable if they also have an iPad Pro, Air, or mini.
So what’s the solution?
Since Lightning is no longer sustainable due to its limitations and USB-C is constantly being developed, only one solution makes sense: switch all devices to USB-C. However, Apple has been reluctant to do so for years, on the grounds that this would have a negative impact on users and would produce an unprecedented amount of e-waste (electronic scrap).
However, the EU takes this decision away from Apple. Because from 2024 will occur new law in force that all smartphones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU must have USB-C. The iPhone 15 would not be affected by this next year. However, some industry analysts such as Ming-Chi Kuo suspect that we can expect a USB-C iPhone as early as 2023.