It’s 2024 and Apple still sells 9 products with a Lightning connector. The transition to USB-C remains incomplete

The one with the Apple connectors is a story of deprivation. They stuck with Lightning on the iPad until the electrical limitations for what aspired to be “your next computer” made it evident that it was necessary to move to USB-C. They were also obsessed with Lightning in iPhones until the European Parliament said that as a joke it had been good but that it was time to change, even if it was with the excuse of the environment.

And now Apple is still determined to stretch the Lightning gum even a little further, despite the fact that it is a connector with already important limitations (480 Mbps, limited voltage). And it is just as true that in some devices this is not relevant as the convenience of a ubiquitous USB-C is unbeatable.

Chubby rhythm

On the Apple website, in April 2024, with the May 7 event about to move the shelves, the following products with Lightning are on sale:

• iPhone SE. Announced in March 2022.
• 2nd generation AirPods. Announced in 2019.
• 3rd generation AirPods. Announced in 2021.
• AirPods Max. Announced in December 2020.
• Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad. Announced in 2015 (except for some small later revisions such as the black versions or the Magic Keyboard with fingerprint sensor for Apple Silicon).
• Powerbeats Pro. Announced in June 2020.
• Apple Pencil 1st generation. Announced in 2015.

We omit the iPhone 13, 14 and 14 Plus, as well as the 9th generation iPad, which are also still on sale on the Apple website, as they are models that have had successors and are limited to releasing the stocks accumulated for those looking for cheaper alternatives. We also omit minor products such as cables and adapters.

Be supposed to AirPods have paved the way because the latest AirPods Pro already include USB-C and because this year replacements will arrive for both the basic ones and the Max. And the leaks, in addition to the splitting of the basic model, also talk about the move to USB-C.

There is no news about the Powerbeats, perhaps because it is a product that arouses much less interest. But the rest of the Beats do incorporate the standard port.

The 1st generation Apple Pencil is part of that great confusion that is the Pencil and it is only a matter of time before it is eradicated. As soon as the iPads that do not support wireless charging of the most recent model, from 2018, are no longer supported. It is being a very slow transition.

The iPhone SE, similar to the AirPods: since it is not an annual renewal model, it is a matter of time before the successor arrives, in all likelihood, by legal imperative, with USB-C.

The peripherals remain. Keyboard, mouse and trackpad. A trident that Apple is renewing at a rapid pace and for which they do not seem to be in a hurry to provide USB-C either. Possibly because there is a great stocks to place before announcing a renewal.

There is a little less left to finish leaving behind a connector whose time has come a long time ago. Lightning lives, the fight (to migrate to USB-C) continues.

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Featured image | Xataka with Midjourney