There has been a flurry of excitement this week over Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) upcoming iPhone 8. The fuss started a few days ago when The Wall Street Journal published an update on the new iPhone and stated that the Lightning port would be dropped in favor of USB-C. Given the fuss over AAPL ditching the headphone jack in the iPhone 7, the spectre of the company abandoning another legacy port evoked strong reaction.
Now, a new report from a well-known Apple analyst claims all 2017 iPhones — including the 10th-anniversary iPhone 8 — will stick with Lightning ports, but will adopt USB-C’s fast-charging technology.
Here’s the latest on the Lightning port controversy.
New Theory: AAPL Keeps the Lightning Port
MacRumors published KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s take on the controversy. He is certain all 2017 iPhones, including the iPhone 8, will keep their Lightning port. However, he predicts that AAPL is investigating the adoption of the USB-C Power Delivery standard in that Lightning port. Doing so would retain compatibility with Lightning accessories, but with the advantage of much faster wired charging for the new iPhones.
Kuo also notes several reasons why AAPL would not choose to implement USB-C instead of staying with its proprietary Lightning port, beyond the potential consumer backlash. The company would be giving up revenue from its MFi program that certifies Lightning accessories. And USB-C ports are physically larger than Lightning — given AAPL’s obsession with making iPhones thinner, switching to a larger port seems unlikely.
Why Has USB-C Been Such a Flashpoint Issue?
The mere suggestion that AAPL would ditch the Lightning port in favor of USB-C has generated a huge number of articles and editorials and filled Apple forums. Why the fanfare over a simple charging port?
There are actually two issues at play here.
The first is a sensitivity to Apple eliminating legacy ports. After the company got rid of the decades-old standard 3.5mm jack on the iPhone 7, there were accusations AAPL had done so arbitrarily — maybe to sell more Beats wireless headphones. Even rival Samsung Electronic (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) hopped on the bandwagon, mocking AAPL’s decision when it launched the Galaxy Note 7 — complete with headphone jack.
After the Galaxy Note 7’s exploding batteries, Samsung may avoid such public taunting in the future. Karma….
In the fall, Apple released a new MacBook Pro that had all legacy connectivity ports replaced with USB-C. This infuriated many long-time Mac users because it meant having to buy adapters and dongles for all their current accessories and peripherals. A switch from Lightning to USB-C would be seen by many as another Apple move done more or less arbitrarily, without consideration for the impact it may have on customers.
On the other side of the equation, there are also many Apple fans who would love to see the company ditch the proprietary Lightning port for USB-C, which is becoming an industry standard.
Count MacBook Pro (and MacBook) owners in that group — they have to purchase a Lightning to USB-C cable if they want to connect an iPhone to their laptop. These people were excited to see the Wall Street Journal’s prediction that AAPL would make the big move.
So Where Are We Now on the iPhone 8 Lightning Port?
As usual, no one knows for certain what AAPL’s plans are. I tend to side with the analysts who are suggesting that Apple isn’t about to court controversy with such a critical iPhone release, and will keep the Lightning port but maybe pack in a USB-C cable or adapter this time around.
The one thing you can bet on is that AAPL is watching the conversation and evaluating reaction — if not for the iPhone 8, then for a little further down the line.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
