Next iPhone ‘will have NEW charging port’ – making your old cables useless
APPLE is hell-bent on making you fork out for a new overpriced charging cable with the release of its next iPhone.
The tech titan is reportedly planning to load a USB-C charging port into the 2019 iPhone, just like it did for the 2019 iPad Pro.
The switch would render current iPhone cables useless, and force fans to buy a new lead if they upgrade their handset.
Apple charges nearly £20 for USB-C cables on its website – though you can get them for as little as £4 elsewhere.
The swap, potentially Apple's third in just 12 years, was spotted by eagle-eyed Twitter user .
They posted a screen grab of an animation that appears when you plug your iPhone into your computer on the upcoming version of Apple's iOS operating system.
The iOS 13 download isn't out properly just yet – it'll release with the new iPhone in September – but fans can access an early "Beta" version of it via Apple's website.
According to the Twitter pic, the familiar Lightning cable and iTunes icon that appeared on the iPhone screen in previous iOS versions is no more.
We now have the image of a laptop and what appears to be a USB-C cable.
The leak seems to confirm earlier rumours that Apple is shaping up to swap to USB-C charging into this year's iPhone.
Apple's first iPhones used the massive 30-pin dock connector, before the firm abruptly switched to lightning connectors in 2012.
The move made everybody's old charging cables useless, and it appears the firm is preparing to pull the move again.
A brief history of Apple charging cable changes
Here's everything you need to know...
- When the first iPhone launched in 2007, it featured a charging port designed from the ground up by Apple
- This was called the 30-pin dock connector, and survived on Apple handsets for years
- But in 2012, Apple introduced a new Lightning port for charging phones (from the iPhone 5 onwards)
- The move sparked outrage as it made everybody's old charging cables useless
- In 2019, rumours began to circulate that Apple is planning to change the iPhone's charging port a second time
- The firm is reportedly planning to switch to USB-C charging, as it did with the 2019 iPad Pro
USB-C is an increasingly popular type of charging and data transfer port that was launched in the middle of 2014.
The male end of the cable is a little thicker and much wider than Apple's Lightning cables, but they largely perform the same job.
However, while Lightning ports are exclusively used on Apple devices, USB-C ports are now very common.
Most flagship Android phones now feature USB-C ports, including the Samsung Galaxy S10, Google Pixel 3, and OnePlus 7 Pro.
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In other Apple news, the new 2019 iPhone could get a "super charger" that will power your phone to 80% in an hour.
Apple will reportedly release an iPhone 11 that can wirelessly charge your Apple Watch or AirPods.
Apple engineer says working under Steve Jobs to design the iPhone is ‘the reason I’m divorced’.
Do you think Apple should swap charging ports? Let us know in the comments!
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