Why don't iPhone have Type-C Port?

Apple launched the Lightning Connector in September 2012 to replace the old 30-pin dock connector. It used to be better than any connector at that time. But is it still the best or Apple should totally shift to Type-C. Stay tuned to know.

First, let’s compare the data transfer Speed of Lightning Connector with other Type-C standards. Here’s a table containing the same. USB-C is very confusing but I tried to make it as simple as possible.

As I had said, Lightning was the best. But the table tells us that things changed. Premium Phones today generally use the 10 GBPS standards which are twice that of iPhones. But that’s not the concern as Apple would surely upgrade the Data transfer speed in iPhone 12 Series. And I won’t talk much about it in this article.

The problem is the inconvenience of a Lightning Port. Apple has replaced it with Type-C in the newer iPads and it was always there in Mac. So why does Apple not replace Lightning in iPhones? One using the Apple Ecosystem has to carry both Lightning and USB-C cables in the end which totally defeats the purpose of Universal Connectors. So what is stopping Apple from the shift?

It’s totally business. All iPhone users must know about the quality of Lightning Cables in the box. And you have to buy at least some accessories to use with the iPhone and the only way to connect them is the Lightning Port. Apple charges at least ₹1000 for Lightning Accessories. Another thing most people don’t know is that with every third-party accessory using Lightning Connectors, Apple charges royalties which would not be possible if they used Type-C. This is because Apple developed the Lightning Connector. So even if you buy a cheaper alternative for Apple’s accessories, Apple earns money on that.

This is also one of the reasons why Apple removed the 3.5 mm Headphone Jack in iPhone 7. But let’s keep it for someday else. At the end, this article is not for criticism of Apple but for information and knowledge. So that’s it for today.