“Apple will drop the ports altogether before even considering switching to USB-C on the iPhone lineup” — this running joke in the tech circle might end next year. The unreal is about to happen. According to the reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple might give us a USB Type-C port on the iPhone 15 in 2023.
In a pair of tweets, Kuo said that his latest survey indicates that Apple will drop the Lightning port in favor of the USB-C port. As The Verge points out, the “survey” could include component manufacturers, from whom Kuo seems to get a lot of his information about the future Apple products. The switch would make things more convenient for users with multiple gadgets and also help improve iPhone’s transfer and charging speeds, depending on the iOS support.
Kuo expects to see “existing USB-C-related suppliers of Apple’s ecosystem (e.g., IC controller, connector) become the market’s focus in the next one to two years, thanks to vast orders from iPhones and accessories’ adoption of USB-C ports.”
The analyst has a reliable track record but we are still skeptical about Apple adopting USB-C for the iPhone since we’ve been hearing rumors about the idea for years. While the iPhone-maker has been hell-bent on sticking to the Lightning port, it has partly adopted the reversible USB standard with its iPad lineup and USB-C-compatible Thunderbolt ports on many Macs.
But the change could finally happen because of the pressure built by policymakers. For the unaware, the EU is considering a proposal that would make USB-C ports mandatory on various electronic items, including smartphones. The presence of a standard USB port across all electronics would mean lesser chargers and data cables as you’ll be able to charge your devices using a single type of charger.
While the EU has yet to adopt this motion, there is no reason to expect that it won’t. As and when that happens, Apple would have up to two years to shift its products into alignment if it intends on selling its iPhones in Europe (and likely, around the world too).
Motorola has built some of my favorite foldables and flagship phones. I had a great time with both the Razr Fold and last year's Signature. So when the company began teasing the Signature 27, I couldn't help be excited. The new model comes with Qualcomm's blazing-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, and better still, it is finally getting a proper global release.
One of the reasons I was obsessed with the last-gen Signature was its amazing price tag. But it seems like that budget flagship dream might be officially dead. Portuguese retailer MegaPC has prematurely listed a 12GB RAM and 512GB storage Signature 27 in Pantone Coal Smoke for €1,594.90 (approx. $1,775).
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.