Lightning

Despite pushback from Apple, the European Parliament in January voted overwhelmingly for new rules to establish a common charging standard for mobile device makers across the European Union. This article explores what form the EU laws might ultimately take and how they could affect Apple device users in Europe and elsewhere. What Exactly is the EU Calling For? To reduce cost, electronic...

It appears that Apple is discontinuing the Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that it released alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016. The adapter was recently listed as "sold out" on Apple's online store in the U.S. and most other countries, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The adapter remains available from Apple in only a handful of countries, such as...

Apple has been gradually transitioning its products from Lightning to USB-C in recent years. This trend continued today with Apple updating the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad accessories for the Mac with USB-C charging ports. The accessories have no other changes, meaning the Magic Mouse's charging port is still on the bottom. For the time being, Apple is continuing to sell...

Apple has been gradually transitioning its products from Lightning to USB-C in recent years. For example, the charging cases for both new AirPods 4 models unveiled this week, and the revised AirPods Max, are now equipped with a USB-C port. In addition, Apple discontinued the iPhone 13 this week, and that device has a Lightning port. The list of Apple devices and accessories that are still...

Apple discontinued the ninth-generation iPad with a Lightning port last week, meaning that its entire iPad lineup now uses USB-C. However, the company still sells a handful of devices and accessories with Lightning for now. The list of products that Apple still sells with a Lightning port or connector includes some older iPhone models, the standard AirPods, the over-ear AirPods Max, the...

Apple introduced the Lightning port in September 2012 with the launch of the iPhone 5. The connector was a significant change from the previous 30-pin connector used in Apple devices, offering a smaller, more efficient connection that could be inserted either way up, enhancing ease of use. In September 2023, over a decade later, Apple caught up with the rest of the industry and removed the...

The newly announced M3 iMac is still accompanied by peripherals with a Lightning port for pairing and charging, rather than USB-C as rumored. In recent months, Apple was widely expected to be planning to switch the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse to USB-C upon the release of the M3 ‌iMac‌, but that has not occurred. These peripherals continue to feature a Lightning port and...

As widely expected, all four iPhone 15 models are equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port. Apple also made the AirPods Pro available with a USB-C charging case, and released wired EarPods with a USB-C connector. Nevertheless, there are a handful of Apple devices and accessories that are still sold with Lightning, which debuted on the iPhone 5 back in 2012: iPhone 14 Plus,...

All three AirPods models and Mac accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad are likely to transition to USB-C by 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. AirPods Charging Case with USB-C port by Ken Pillonel. Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved a new directive to force manufacturers to offer USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of devices in...

Earlier today, the European Parliament voted in favor of enforcing a standard charger across all smartphones and a wide range of consumer electronic devices by the end of 2024, including new products released by Apple thereafter. The new rule will directly and most heavily impact Apple, which across a wide range of products, continues to use a decade-old port. Below, we've listed some of the ...

The European Parliament today voted overwhelmingly in favor of enforcing USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of consumer electronic devices, including the iPhone and AirPods, by the end of 2024. The proposal, known as a directive, forces all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell their products in Europe to ensure that a wide range of devices feature a USB-C port. This...

Today marks 10 years since Apple introduced the iPhone 5 with an all-new Lightning connector, which replaced the previous 30-pin dock connector that originated on the iPod. Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller described Lightning as a "modern connector for the next decade," and this milestone has now been achieved. iPhone 14 models remain equipped with a Lightning connector, but...

The European Union has reached a landmark agreement to force a wide range of consumer electronics, including the iPhone and AirPods, to feature a USB-C port for charging by fall 2024. In a press release, the European Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection announced that it has reached an agreement to introduce a law to make USB-C the common charging port across a...

Apple is indeed testing iPhones that are equipped with USB-C ports instead of Lightning ports, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple does not plan to make the switch from Lightning to USB-C until 2023 at the earliest, with this year's iPhones continuing to offer a Lightning port. We first heard about a potential swap to USB-C from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who earlier this week said...

Members of the European Parliament this week voted overwhelmingly in support of legislation that will compel Apple to offer a USB-C port on all iPhones, iPads, and AirPods in Europe. The proposal, known as a directive, will force all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell devices in Europe to ensure that all new phones, tablets, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld...

Following a number of enthusiasts successfully adding a USB-C port to the iPhone, engineer Ken Pillonel has explained how he added a fully functional Lightning port, including support for charging and data transfer, to a Samsung Galaxy A51. After posting a preview of the project earlier this month, Pillonel has now shown how he completed the conversion in detail. The complex process involved ...

Following a trend of enthusiasts successfully switching the iPhone's Lightning port for a USB-C port, engineer Ken Pillonel has added a functional Lightning port to a Samsung Galaxy A51. Pillonel was the first to gain notoriety for modifying an iPhone X to add a functional USB-C port, which went on to sell for over $86,000 at auction. His latest project sought to achieve the inverse and...

When Phil Schiller introduced the Lightning connector at the unveiling of the iPhone 5 in September 2012, he called it "a modern connector for the next decade," and with that 10-year mark coming up later this year, questions remain over what the future of the ‌iPhone‌ looks like and whether or not that future will include a Lightning port, or perhaps no port at all. Every ‌iPhone‌ since the ‌...

Apple seems to have no plans to replace the iPhone's Lightning port with a USB-C port to bring it in line with Macs and iPads, but robotics student Ken Pillonel spent months hacking an ‌iPhone‌ to add a USB-C port. In early October, Pillonel shared a video demonstrating the "world's first ‌iPhone‌ with a USB Type-C port," and now he's shared a second video explaining how he pulled it off. ...

The European Commission has presented legislation that would compel Apple to use a USB-C port on all iPhones, iPads, and AirPods in Europe (via Reuters). The proposal, known as a directive, would force all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell devices in Europe to ensure that all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers, handheld videogame consoles feature a USB-C...

A normal-looking Lightning cable that can used to steal data like passwords and send it to a hacker has been developed, Vice reports. The "OMG Cable" compared to Apple's Lightning to USB cable. The "OMG Cable" works exactly like a normal Lightning to USB cable and can log keystrokes from connected Mac keyboards, iPads, and iPhones, and then send this data to a bad actor who could be over a...