iPhone 13 — The Port Authority?
Tim Hardwick (via Fudge) writing at MacRumors:
Apple will use Lightning port instead of USB-C in the upcoming “iPhone 12”, but it will be the last major series of Apple’s flagship phones to do so, with models set to combine wireless charring and a port-less Smart Connector system for data transfer and syncing in the iPhone “13 series” next year.
This… seems early? According to this report, we’re looking at all true ports being removed from iPhone by the 2021 iPhone release. Those iPhones are less than a year and half from release (if Apple sticks to their usual schedule). That is going to be right around the corner before we know it.
I’m curious to see what Apple’s angle is here. For charging options, iPhones have had Lightning since the iPhone 5 in 2012. A new charging option was added to iPhone in 2017 with the introduction of the iPhones 8 and iPhone X. Is wireless charging that popular among the hundreds of millions of iPhone users globally? I know tech enthusiasts tend to love it but realistically, how many iPhone users are likely to not only use the charger from the box but also go out and get a $25 and up wireless charger?
There are a few issues to consider here. First of all, Apple doesn’t even make their own wireless charger (yet). We all remember what happened to the fabled AirPower. Apple tried to beat physics and lost. If Apple itself doesn’t produce a wireless charger, how are they going to expect customers to make that one of (if not their only) charging option?
Let’s say Apple revives Airpower (or creates a revised version) and they release this around the same time as the 2021 iPhones. For the most part, wireless charging is slow. Much slower than wired charging, especially if you use one of the 18W chargers Apple includes in the 11 Pro (and presumably 12 Pro) boxes. This is also glossing over one of the more annoying issues with wireless charging. If you’ve got your iPhone on a wireless charger, every time you pick it up it interrupts the charge. That’s annoying and inconvenient. At least with a wired charger, you can still charge your phone and use it at the same time.
If they are indeed including a Smart Connector (supposedly for data transfer) then it needs to allows for charging. At that point, I could see a portless iPhone being less of an obstacle. But with most of the world slapping iPhones in cases, how will iPhone owners use the Smart Connector? Sadly, it wouldn’t shock me if you were stuck with wireless charging if you choose to put your glass sandwich in a protective case (I’m partial to the Saddle Brown Apple Case myself).
To wrap up, here is what I’d like to see if these rumored 2021 iPhones are indeed coming down the pipe. First, Apple needs to make and sell their own wireless charging option. Second, there needs to be a Smart Connector on the iPhone, ideally replacing the spot where the lightning port was. This way, it makes the phone portless, protects the inside of the iPhone better (hypothetically) and allows for using the phone even while it is charging. If the 2021 iPhones become wireless charging only, I believe that will be a huge mistake. Apple took away the headphone jack while at the same time introducing AirPods, and people still talk about how annoyed they are. If the plan is to make the 2021 iPhones charge via wireless charging only, Apple needs to prepare for a whole hell of a lot of noise.
