Apple is planning to refresh many of its accessories to add a USB-C port following the transition away from Lightning on the iPhone 15 lineup, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman told MacRumors.
On the most recent episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Gurman said that Apple is seeking to move to USB-C across its lineup of accessories by next year, including all of its AirPods models and Mac accessories. The transition will apparently be relatively fast, mirroring the transition to the Lightning connector following its introduction in 2012.
“They’re going to need to do a new MagSafe Duo with USB-C,” Gurman said, and Apple “certainly can update the MagSafe battery pack” to add USB-C. It is not entirely clear if these refreshed accessories will be introduced at Apple’s “Wonderlust” event on Tuesday, September 12.
Gurman also mused that the now-discontinued Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock could be reintroduced with a USB-C port. Although Apple needs to refresh a large selection of its cables and accessories relatively quickly, he is “not expecting any curveballs or any brand new types of accessories” to be announced at the iPhone 15 Apple event.
In addition, Gurman explained that a new MagSafe Battery Pack is in development, but it is likely not yet ready to be introduced. The next-generation battery pack involves a new concept that allows users to “daisy-chain” multiple battery packs together by stacking them and wirelessly charge multiple devices at the same time. For example, it will be possible to charge two iPhones at the same time, with one placed on either side of the battery pack. It will also, of course, feature a USB-C port.
Gurman said that he does not think the new AirPods Pro with a USB-C port on the charging case, due to be announced next week, will be marketed as “third-generation AirPods Pro.” The third-generation AirPods Pro will be a more significant update launching next year or early 2025, Gurman claimed. Listen to The MacRumors Show podcast for Gurman’s full thoughts and expectations.
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