William Gallagher
Leakers seem to definitely like the USB-C connector on the iPhone 15 range, as now a third set of images purporting to show its components has been leaked.
This change is so certain that Apple is going to struggle to make its switch from Lightning to USB-C charging port seem like a big deal when it launches the iPhone 15 range. Law changes in the European Union and to a lesser extent now Saudi Arabia too, mean that Apple will be forced to switch to USB-C and the only doubt has been about how soon.
Given that the most likely answer is with the forthcoming iPhone 15 range, it follows that the supply chain would be producing the components now. Consequently, we've had one leak that was apparently fake, one that appears more certain, and now a new one that comes in the middle of this Goldilocks sequence.
Regular leaker Majin Bu on X/Twitter, is now showing a sequence of seven images that are purportedly components from the iPhone 15 Plus. Two are a front and back overview of the entire component assembly, while the remaining are extreme closeups of USB-C connectors, or identifying labels.
iPhone15 Plus USB C connector detail pic.twitter.com/J0nDO7WPeU
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) August 14, 2023
"You can see the packaged chip on the iPhone 15 series," writes the leaker later in the thread. "The model is 3LD3."
"Because it is a self-designed chip, the function cannot be judged by the model," continues the leaker. "Judging from the same type of plastic packaged chips in the past, it may be the setting of transmission encryption."
Majin Bu has a long reputation for leaks where he or she is republishing images from other sources without any credit. It's consequently hard to establish any authority for the leaks, until Apple releases the product and it can be compared to the claims.
This leaker has been right before, and has also been wrong.
It's long been rumored that Apple either will or just should move to USB-C for its speed and interoperability benefits, regardless of any international laws. But there will surely be some rather more exciting updates, especially if it's true that Apple is considering raising the price for the iPhone 15 Pro Max at least.
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"Law changes in the European Union and to a lesser extent now Saudi Arabia too, mean that Apple will be forced to switch to USB-C and the only doubt has been about how soon."
Geez, this has never been in doubt. Sure, the law doesn't take effect until 2024, but If Apple didn't make the the switch to USB-C this year on the 15, then it wouldn't have been able to offer the 15 in Europe as a cheaper carryover model next year when the iPhone 16 debuts. And these "leaked" photos of what the USB-C port looks like are inane. It looks like the same port we've seen for almost a decade since it debuted in 2014. This USB-C "news" really reeks of desperation for SOMETHING to talk about when it comes to iPhone 15.
A far more interesting take on Apple and USB-C can be found over on Macworld, with an article that delves into how iPhone's transition to USB-C won't solve Apple's Lightning mess, with so many current products STILL using the 11-year-old connector, thereby guaranteeing that we'lll need to keep Lightning cables around for years to come.
Is there anyone left who doubts that USB-C is replacing Lightning in every Apple device?
It has never been a question of "if", it has only been a question of "when".
Unlike Apple's previous transition from the 30-pin Dock Connector to the current Lightning proprietary connector, this transition to USB-C is toward a connector standard that is widely adopted already, not just in Apple devices. Lord knows I already have a bunch of devices that feature USB-C ports, both for data and power.
There should be no surprise as Apple already started transitioning to USB-C in iPads a couple of years ago (the 6th generation iPad mini is one example that comes to mind).
Macs -- both desktop and notebook -- have featured USB-C/Thunderbolt ports for years.
It has been a long time coming. It'll be nice to eventually pare down my travel bag from the myriad variety of cords to a simpler selection.