Apple’s Lightning cable turns 10, but this birthday will usher the end of its era

It was 10 years ago, back in September 2012, when Apple introduced the world to the iPhone 5. Then the most powerful iPhone, and the biggest design change ever for iPhones. But there was more, something that withstood the test of time — The Lightning Port. Apple announced the switch from the 30-pin connector to Lightning, comparatively more compact, reversible usage and what executive Phil Shiller called “a modern connector for the next decade”.

All Apple iPhones, and indeed all generations of AirPods wireless earbuds, AirPods Max headphones, the iPad (the most affordable one; alongside older iPads, iPad Mini and iPad Pro that you may own) and even the Apple TV rechargeable remote still use the Lightning port. Schiller had promised the longevity about as long as a decade, and Lightning has delivered to the hilt.

End of Lightning? Unlikely it’ll be this year

It may continue to, at least for a while longer. Despite the clamor for a universal charging cable standard (in other words, the USB-C standard), Lightning may likely hang around for another year. We may not see the new iPhone 14 series (at least all new iPhones if there is even the slightest indication of Apple’s intent to switch) move on from the Lightning port just yet.

We are just days away from Apple’s annual September event, where the iPhone 14 series is expected to be unveiled.

Lightning showed the way: reversible convenience

In its time, Lightning’s reversible usage and design gave it a definite usability advantage over the comparatively clunky micro-USB standard, which many devices over the years (Android phones, Bluetooth speakers, tablets, game console controllers, power banks, digital cameras etc.) used. If you have ever tried to plug in a micro-USB cable without looking down (or with the lights turned off), the chances of success were as high as the 2022 version of Daniel Ricciardo winning a Formula 1 race this season.

Convenience was added to, by the ecosystem of third-party cables (many Apple certified, mind you, and equally millions that weren’t), that were designed to be rugged.

Lightning as a standard has, and this was to be expected, since been surpassed. USB-C is a newer standard and seen a couple of major iterations already. Interesting to note how the reversible usage has been adopted. Yet, there is one drawback of USB-C as a standard – unlike Lightning which didn’t have connectors in the middle of the port, USB-C does.

Harsh usage, dust accumulating inside the ports or purely because of bad luck, the chances of the USB-C port on the host device getting damaged are quite high.

Also Read:Truecaller ‘revamps’ app for iPhone users. Details here

Where USB-C shines: almost universal adoption, led by Android

Speed isn’t the reason why there are calls for one charging cable, across personal tech that we buy. Lightning, with the very first iPad Pro line-up quite a few years ago (it was 2015, if memory serves us well), got the requisite speed bump to support data transfer speeds up to 5Gbps (up from the previous standard that was limited to 480Mbps). This meant external displays with Ultra HD resolution and more are supported, and large file transfers are a cinch.

USB-C has many standards actively in use, and things can get complicated to wrap your head around them all. The crux of the matter is this – the fastest (that is the USB 3.2 Gen 2X2, also called SuperSpeed+), has a theoretical top transfer speed of 20Gbps.

Universal adoption, instead, is the reason. While devices that traditionally used micro-USB made the switch to USB-C (and numbers swelled quickly), Android phones led the rapid transition. Almost every Android phone now uses the USB-C port, and that’s been the case for a couple of years now. Feature phones still rely heavily on micro-USB. Meanwhile, Lightning remained exclusive to Apple’s own devices.

The thing is, Apple’s own MacBook Pro and iPad Pro have over time, adopted USB-C. That has simplified things for users who also use other devices.

Regulatory intervention: Environment, simplification, and costs

Regulators in the EU have mandated all personal tech devices (including iPhones) must use the USB-C port by the fall of 2024. That gives Apple about 24 months from now, to switch the iPhones to the new standard. The EU’s pitch is simple – consumers will save money they’d have otherwise spent to buy new chargers, and more than 11,000 tonnes of e-waste annually (that’s just in the EU countries) will be saved in the form of disposed or unused chargers.

Last month, India also made its first move. An expert committee will be set up soon, to prepare a plan for the shift to a universal charging standard for gadgets. The process will include discussions with manufacturers, industry associations and equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“With each passing year, the number of smart devices owned by consumers has been on the rise, necessitating the need for periodic changing. More importantly, such a move (to common chargers) will fuel sustainability and minimize e-waste,” said Prabhu Ram, head of Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research, while speaking with HT.

According to the 2020 Global E-Waste Monitor, as much as 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste is generated annually. Of this, discarded or outdated mobile phone chargers make up for around 54,000 tonnes globally (that’s a 0.1% share). A small step, to solve a larger problem?