Report: Apple may abandon Lightning for USB-C (and bring back the iPod Touch)

A new report suggests Apple “might” make the switch to USB-C in 2019 on both the iPhone and iPad.

The report, from supply chain blog Macotakara, claims Apple engineers are working on the USB-C transition but haven’t yet reached the reference design stage — meaning, it could miss the 2019 cut-off, pushing it to 2020. Macotakara, for those unfamiliar with the blog, has a sound track record, although not a perfect one. Take any rumors coming from a supply chain blog with a grain of salt.

In other news from the same source, Apple is almost certainly making a charge into technology it abandoned just a few years back: the portable MP3 player.

The last iPod Touch launched in 2015, and was available for $199 for 32GB of storage. The iPod Classic was also shelved in 2015. As for other models, the Nano and Shuffle, both managed to eek their way into 2017 before Apple axed them, leaving a gaping hole in the Apple-made MP3 player space.

While mostly irrelevant in 2019, the MP3 player still fills a need for fitness buffs and those who don’t want to eat away at their precious phone battery (or storage for those albums they can’t find on Spotify or Apple Music).

While Callum might be thrilled at the idea of a new iPhone — it’s all he asked for this Christmas — I’m more excited about USB-C replacing the tired, and expensive Lightning port.

via MacRumors