Well, that was fast. Just days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple will stop using Lightning port on the next iPhone and opt for USB-C instead, an analyst from KGI is saying that it won’t happen. Instead, Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will stick to Lightning port and upgrade the internals instead.
According to Kuo, the iPhone 8 will not use USB-C; Apple will use Lightning on all three 2017 iPhones. The Cupertino company will upgrade the internals, bringing fast charge-like features to the devices. This will give the “power benefits of a USB-port with out changing the physical connector”.
iPhone 8 concept design
Ming-Chi Kuo also said that although USB-C port would allow the phone to charge faster compared to the maximum speed of USB 3 Lightning, it is still not enough to convince the Cupertino company to change its port. Apple has two main reasons to maintain its lightning port. One is because of the iOS accessories ecosystem, and another reason is because a Lightning port is smaller than a USB-C port and Apple would definitely pick the smaller one so it can squeeze as many things as it can to the iPhone 8’s body.
KGI is not completely dismissing the idea of Apple using USB-C though, the analyst believes that Apple could use USB-C however, instead of replacing the Lightning port, it will replace the typical rectangular USB-A end of the Lightning cable.
Apple will announce three new iPhones this year. The most premium iPhone 8 with larger OLED display and bezel-less design, while the other two will feature the usual incremental updates. If you are eyeing the premium one, do save up now because it is likely to cost above US$1,000, after conversion and considering how Apple devices are more expensive outside of the United States, it could mean it will cost above RM5,000.
(Source: 9to5Mac)
