Reasons Why Apple Is Removing The Lightning Port For The 2021 iPhone

A few days ago, several sites reported that Apple is planning to kill the lightning port of the iPhone. TFI Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a reliable source on the supply chain plans of the Cupertino tech giant, reports that in 2021, Apple will release a high-end iPhone which will not have a Lightning connector. What could be Apple’s reasons for doing this, considering that this report is accurate?

In one of his recent predictions, the Taiwan-based analyst suggests that Apple is not only removing the Lightning port of the 2021 iPhone but also replacing it with a totally wireless experience. A few years back, Apple removed the headphone jack on the iPhone, a move that seemed far-fetched when it was not yet announced, but eventually was true.

Macworld’s Jason Snell enumerates some of the possible reasons behind Apple’s future move for its 2021 iPhone. Among the reasons the writer cites is for aesthetics and corporate philosophy. He is hoping that the Cupertino tech giant has learned from its recent missteps and would not remove a port just because it breaks the symmetry, and it is ugly. Another reason could be for engineering flexibility.

Just like the headphone jack, Apple might argue that removing the Lightning port could free some space within the 2021 iPhone, which could be used for some technology, or for a bigger battery, the writer says. It could also be to increase engineers’ flexibility in positing components inside the handset, the writer theorizes.

Another reason why Apple would remove the Lightning port of 2021 iPhone is to eradicate a point of failure. Although we do not hear a lot of reports about lightning ports failing, in devices, breakdowns happen, and Apple might want to prevent that from happening. With fewer ports exposed to the environment, the lesser the number of iPhones needing repair.

Lightning port in Apple iPhones has many uses. Although Qi charging is the ‘in’ thing nowadays, if you want to charge fast, wired charging is still the most effective. Some users utilize the Lightning port for USB connectivity, especially when transferring files between iOS and Mac. A Lightning port is also convenient for CarPlay, which most units still require physical connectivity to operate.