Apple’s Unrivalled Portless iPhone
A Competitive Advantage Unique to Apple
Rumours on an upcoming portless iPhone are plenty. According to several reports, this iPhone will be launched alongside other iPhones that keep the charging port, with a tentative launch in 2021.
Let’s get a few things out of the way before we begin to criticize how infuriating the removal of the charging port would be. This iPhone is not for your grandma! Hell, it’s not even for most of you reading this right now. At least not when it first launches. It is instead for the early adopter Apple enthusiasts who are deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem, and are likely already saving their money for the rumoured Apple Car. They will put up with inconveniences of a first generation device. However, I’d like to talk about what sets Apple apart from competing smartphones which will presumably follow suit and ditch the charging port. Apple can conveniently solve several problems that come from removing the last port on our devices, ensuring its removal across all iPhones sooner than we may think.
MagSafe
The first possible issue is the obvious: charging. In comes MagSafe. MagSafe was strategically launched ahead of this portless iPhone. It is a brilliant combination of wired and wireless charging that improves upon both, and it’s here to stay. It provides a user with a sense of security that their device is plugged-in thanks to its magnetization, and keeps all the convenience of wireless charging while maximizing its efficiency. Moreover, it offers a wide and growing range of accessories that enhance day to day experiences. To read about all the advantages that MagSafe provides, check out my in-depth article on MagSafe, here.
Apple One
Another issue that may come up is backups. Apple will love to sell you on their service, Apple One. Its cheapest entry level tier, the Individual plan includes 50GB of iCloud storage. Tiers range at up to 2TB of iCloud storage at the Premier level. By combining all of their services, Apple is hoping at least one of them will convince you to pay for the whole bundle, of course. Having access to iCloud storage and automated daily backups will become very convenient for most. After all, when was the last time you plugged your iPhone into your laptop for backup purposes?
Apple Silicon
As of 2020, Apple officially launched their first ARM Macs in their most popular models, ensuring that all their product lines have the same architecture. While MacOS used to be the exception to the other platforms (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS) in architecture, this won’t be a setback anymore. Devices will more seamlessly share data, and provide a more unified experience across all devices. More than they already do! That means new wireless protocols and sharing methods could be in store for the years to come. Things like AirDrop 2, AirPlay 3, better HandOff and Continuity, and increased shared awareness between devices. That brings me to the most powerful advantage.
The Ecosystem
Apple’s ecosystem currently sits on the throne. The level of polish and care that Apple commits into keeping that spot can be seen in nearly every decision they make. This ecosystem can grow and improve exponentially now that all devices share similar instruction sets and architectures, ensuring a drastic reduction in friction and workarounds needed to keep a harmony between products. Devices are able to share beyond just files, but tasks, knowledge, and awareness allowing them to perform depending on their own abilities and the devices around them. This means a lower utter-and-absolute necessity for a specific device, as they can all do similar things, even if they have different form factors optimized for their most specific use cases: health & glanceability for Apple Watch, communication & internet access for iPhone, versatile entertainment & creativity for iPad, and professional productivity & power for Mac. Given this iPhone is for the invested Apple users, they won’t have problems interchanging their devices for times where the iPhone may not be the most convenient, even when inconvenience is directly caused by the lack of a charging port. Besides, with the launch of the upcoming Apple Glass, it’s not entirely crazy to think that as it improves over time, it could steadily take away more screen time from your iPhone. Your iPhone could become a mobile and powerful processor that stays in your pocket for a large chunk of the day.
What of CarPlay?
Through partnerships with existing carmakers that currently only support wired CarPlay, a proposed solution could be to have users log into their Apple IDs directly through the car’s software, and not have to rely on the device plugged in. If some data absolutely requires the presence of an iPhone, certain things could be shared over Bluetooth. However, every relatively recent car that supports CarPlay has some connection to a network and does not have to rely entirely on your iPhone’s cellular data, especially if Apple and the manufacturers negotiate solutions on network usage.
Closing thoughts on a Portless iPhone
When rumours try to predict the year when Apple could launch something, I always take them with grain of salt. Same for the 2021 portless iPhone. In my opinion, I don’t think it is absolutely confirmed. I suspect that Apple will wait until a few key statistics are met before stripping iPhone of its charging port. For example, depending on the percentage of users that have purchased MagSafe chargers. It could also depend on the amount of users that utilize iCloud backups. It is likely a combination of several factors just like these. Apple will not hesitate to wait until a big decision like that one is taken. We’ve seen them delay the rumoured AirTags time and time again because of their greatly reduced need during 2020’s global health crisis, and according to several sources, AirTags have already been manufactured and ready for launch for a while now.
Cheers, and as always, keep looking forward to the future!
