Is This the Most Exciting Upgrade on the iPhone 15?

Dream - Apple is likely to launch the iPhone 15 in September, with features that previous iPhones have never had.

According to analysts and media reports, Apple will include a generic charging port, also known as USB Type-C, at the bottom of the phone.

According to CNBC, this is the same charging port that has been used in almost every laptop in recent years, as well as in Android phones, iPads, and other gadgets such as Kindles, headphones, and drones.

The USB-C connector will replace Apple's own port, the Lightning port, which has adorned the bottom of every iPhone model released since 2012.

The inclusion of this new feature is one of the biggest upgrades on the iPhone for consumers in years.

iPhone users no longer need to carry two different cables for their phone and other gadgets when traveling. Android users can borrow chargers from people who have iPhones.

iPhone users can also borrow chargers from anyone who uses a laptop. Schools and businesses can standardize on one type of charger for their entire fleet of devices. USB-C even allows for faster charging speeds for iPhones.

However, Apple has not confirmed that its new iPhone will feature a USB-C charging port.

New regulations enacted by the European Union last year require new smartphones to have USB-C ports by 2024. Apple is unlikely to produce iPhone models exclusively for the European market.

"Clearly, we have to comply with it," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's marketing chief, last year.

The European Union estimates that the regulations could save Europeans 250 million euros per year on chargers. The European Union also said that old chargers produce about 11,000 tons of electronic waste per year in the region.

Apple initially opposed the regulations. In a letter in 2021, Apple stated that the regulations would hinder future charging innovation, could require them to remove devices from the market earlier, and could confuse consumers with additional information.

"We are concerned that regulations that mandate only one type of connector for all devices in the market would harm European consumers by slowing down the introduction of beneficial charging innovations, including those that relate to safety and energy efficiency," Apple said in the letter.

Whenever Apple changes the port on its devices, skeptics believe it is just an effort to make more money from its premium cables. Apple's most capable USB-C cable is sold for $39.

For example, when Apple added USB-C charging to its MacBook laptops starting in 2015, it sparked jokes about the dongles needed to connect old accessories to the new laptops.

When Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone in 2016, it triggered months-long comments, both supporting and opposing the "bold" change, about whether Apple was pushing people towards its more expensive wireless AirPods.