Apple is changing the charging port with the iPhone 15, and that could deter some customers from upgrading, according to UBS analyst David Vogt. Per Walter Bloomberg’s account of the analyst’s comments:
“People aren’t going to upgrade for the sake of upgrading, because they’d have to change over their cables everywhere. Maybe that causes people to wait a little bit.”
(WB also quotes Michael Gartenberg as saying “the iPhone 13 is going to be good enough” in the same post, although it’s not clear what year Mr. Gartenberg was quoted as saying this.)
As for the iPhone 15, it’s true that Apple will replace its proprietary Lightning port with the industry standard USB-C port. Apple has used USB-C on other products as far back as 2015. Apple’s last port change occurred in 2012 with the iPhone 5.
Top comment by Kevin Hanson
Eh. I think the charging port change is going to almost be a non-issue this time around. They're switching to a plug that many people already have, and also, lots of iPhone users have switched to being purely wireless chargers. The 30-pin to lightning connector was going from a proprietary cable to a brand new proprietary cable, and there was no wireless option. Totally different scenario this time.
The most fascinating detail about the switch to USB-C on the iPhone 15 is that the decision is viewed as coming down to regulation in the EU. Personally, I think that’s 98% accurate, but Apple would certainly fight it if, say, the port mandate called for VGA (or more practically, Micro USB). USB-C, on the other hand, is probably something the iPhone should have adopted already.
Perhaps Apple would have preferred to transition Pro models to USB-C one year, then move the standard model to the port a year or two later. Some customers were asking for the port change since the iPhone 12 Pro, so the lack of flexibility here is still mostly on Apple.
Nevertheless, if iPhone 15 upgrade rates are affected by hesitation to change chargers, Apple can thank the EU – even if the transition should have started before now.
Whatever public reaction lies ahead, the dam will break in less than one week. Apple is holding its next event on September 12 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET. iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will be the topic at hand. Catch up on everything we expect to see from Apple next week here.
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