There have been so many pieces of evidence to patronage / definitively confirm Apple ’s imminent transposition from Lightning to USB - C on the iPhone lately ( display A;exhibit B-complex vitamin ) that readers could be forgiven for growing rather bored of the guinea pig . But a new report suggests the company could be planning something rather more unexpected .
While looking through the code of tvOS 17.0 ’s 5th beta last week , an eagle - eyedApple developer(viaBGR ) blob references to a total of six unidentified iPhones :
Four of these , uncalled-for to say , will be entirely unexampled mannikin determine for handout this declivity . The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus , and the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max . But the first two models on the list remain a closed book .
A few possibility have done the rounds since Aaron made the uncovering , with some more plausible than others . These may , rather unimaginatively , be quiz epitome for internal use only . One more affirmative commenter thinks we ’re about to see theiPhone SE 4(extremely unbelievable onward of outflow 2024 at the earliest , and probably not until 2025 ) ; while anextreme optimistreckons Apple is about to late launch an iPhone 14 mini … which would be interesting , for sure , but almost for sure is n’t the case .
A more convincing but still intriguing hypothesis is that iPhone14,1 and iPhone14,9 refer to update rendering of existing phones : most probable the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus but with USB - vitamin C ports alternatively of Lightning . That mostly fits with past doings ; Apple habitually keeps the cheaper version of the previous year ’s phones on sale after the launch of a new generation , while discontinuing the Pro simulation . The company presently sells the iPhone 13 mini and 13 from 2021 , and the iPhone 12 from 2020 . Logically , in other words , at least one of the 14 - series will still be on sales agreement even after the launch of the iPhone 16 in 2024 , at which point the EU’snew USB - 100 regulationswill have come into effect .
look at a subtly different line , some savant have indicate that , rather than the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus , the Modern code could mention to the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13 . After all , both generation will still be represented in the Apple Store after the iPhone 15 launch , and the company may wish to keep matter dewy-eyed for customer . Of of course , a USB - C larboard is unlikely to supply any functionality to older iPhones , but it would be nice to be able-bodied to say that all iPhones now add up with USB - C interface .
But if that ’s the plan , what about the iPhone SE from 2022 , which we do n’t ask to be discontinued for more than a year ? There ’s no sign of a codename for a USB - C interlingual rendition ofthat . For that matter , it would still be foreign for Apple not to nettle make a raw code for the USB - C version of the 14 Plus , since Plus and Max model normally get their own appellative . The deficiency of a new designator for the SE is odd , so perhaps it will be refreshed rather than we think .
No , the most probable resolution to the mystery is that Apple is focusing on the handsets that will still be on sales event after the EU regulations kick in , which would include at least some of the 14 - series but not the 13 - series . This will create a little confusion for the coming yr , during which customers will face a choice between onetime Lightning iPhones and new USB - C ones , but it ’s not like Apple has been scared of discombobulation in the past ; the iPad was split up between those two standards for years ( and still is , if you let in the still - uncommitted ninth - gen iPad ) .
The iPhone 15 is expect to launch on September 12 or 13 . For all the in vogue news and rumors , check our regularly updatediPhone 15 superguide .
