Apple’s Lightning cable officially retired as all products shift to USB Type-C

Apple’s iconic Lightning cable design has finally been put to rest. The cable, unique only to Apple products, was first introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012, as a replacement for the older 30-pin dock connector. It soon became a proprietary connector that became essential for the Apple ecosystem that was required to charge and sync all Apple devices.

Soon, other Apple products like the iPods and iPad of the time became the first devices that aligned with the Lightning cable. After a very successful stint that included not just standalone products, but also accessories like the AirPods Pro, Apple has now replaced its Lightning port with the global USB Type-C port, which was already being used in its iPads and MacBooks.

Why did Apple switch to USB Type-C

Apple’s Type-C switch can be traced to a European Union mandate that enforced Type-C as the only port design that smartphones can be launched with in EU countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands and more.

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The mandate was to promote reduction in e-waste, provide faster charging speeds and giving the users the choice of purchasing a new device with or without a charger (by not restricting them to a specific port). Regulators also wanted to eliminate the ‘lock-in effect’ that meant made users rely on a single brand for accessories.

Since the mandate applied to the entirety of EU, Apple decided to replace the Lightning ports on iPhones with the Type-C port it had already been using on other products. The change now applies to all iPhones globally, as it wouldn’t be feasible for both Apple or accessory makers to make iPhones with separate ports just for the EU.

The entire Apple ecosystem, now on Type-C ports

Apple made the switch during the launch of the iPhone 15 series last year, with all four models adopting a Type-C port. Since then, other accessories, including the AirPods Pro Gen 2 and even a new Apple Pencil have adopted Type-C ports. Earlier this week, Apple also announced four new iPhones in the iPhone 16 series, all of which sport the Type-C port. Apple’s only pair of headphones – the AirPods Max were also switched to Type-C.

With the entire Apple ecosystem now using Type-C ports, users can get by with a single charging cable, irrespective of how many Apple or non-Apple products they carry with them.