Of all the device manufacturers out there, Apple is probably the most oddly resistant to adopting the now universal standard that is USB-C. The European Union had to push for a common charging and file transfer port in the region in order to force the iPhone maker to adopt the standard on, well, the iPhone. And according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it may finally be happening next year.

The analyst tweeted that Apple may be adopting the USB-C port for the iPhones that will be announced in the second half of 2023. And in doing so, iPhones that come with the ports are expected to also benefit from improved charging and data transfer rates. You know, the usual USB-C upgrades.

This is quite the change in direction, as just last year Kuo noted that “there is no visibility on the current schedule” for iPhones to adopt USB-C. There have even been rumours of Apple going portless completely for its phones rather than adopt the now much more common standard. Then again, rumours of the company dropping its proprietary connectors have come and gone about as frequently as the tides ebb and flow. Rumours of the company picking up USB-C for iPhones have been around since 2017, before the iPad Pro even got it.

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It's expected to see existing USB-C-related suppliers of Apple's ecosystem (e.g., IC controller, connector) become the market's focus in the next 1-2 years, thanks to vast orders from iPhones and accessories' adoption of USB-C ports.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 11, 2022

And while we’re on the subject, Apple gave its iPad Pro series the USB-C charging port back in 2018. This has slowly been extended to the other models, including the most recent variants of the iPad mini and Air. So the reason the iPhones were not extended this benefit is really only known to Apple. So while it’s not an entirely unexpected change, it’s definitely one for the better.

At any rate, it will probably be awhile before we see an iPhone with a USB-C connector. We have yet to even see this year’s model, so we shouldn’t be too concerned about next year’s.

(Source: Ming-Chi Kuo / Twitter via Tom’s Guide)