Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 15 at a special event tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12, and we already know a lot about what to expect thanks to rumors and supply chain sources – but this time also thanks to EU regulators. This latest source strongly suggests that the newer iPhone will get a USB-C connector, replacing the Lightning connector that Apple introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012.
That’s not everything we expect to see in the new iPhone, but it may be the most significant shift because of what it could unlock. This is especially true for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as both are expected to get a Thunderbolt port that uses the same connector as USB-C, but adds a lot of additional capabilities in terms of input and output options, data, display, power and more.
The iPhone getting more hardware input and output capabilities has implications about what kind of role it fills in users’ overall computing lives. Already, competitors including Samsung and Motorola have spent multiple generations of their own devices replicating how smartphones offer more to users than they’re used to; For example, Samsung’s DeX, while a bit awkward when introduced, has become a surprisingly competent desktop replacement. It’s also possible that Android will get its own native desktop mode in time for the Pixel 8, if the rumors prove accurate.
Apple hasn’t done what it needs to do yet in terms of showing that even iPadOS can be a suitable replacement for a desktop computing environment, but it has great potential to make the iPhone a transformative device in that regard. The idea of a pocketable thin client model, where you take your computer with you wherever you go, connecting it to accessories including displays and input devices that can work anywhere you want, has been around for a long time. But the iPhone 15, which has a full-featured USB-C port with the capabilities of the latest Thunderbolt specifications, has no technical barriers to actually achieving this.
Right now, iPhones are very limited in what they can do when connected to an external display. Essentially you can either mirror your device’s screen, providing an experience that’s completely unoptimized for larger canvases, or, if implemented by a developer, output video at a resolution and aspect ratio that makes the most of your TV or monitor — while leaving the rest of the interface out of the mix .
An iPhone capable of displaying something resembling iPadOS (or, ideally, but certainly not wishful thinking on my part – macOS) when connected to a display could easily replace a laptop for a large portion of the population, likely including for casual computing, and for work tasks. The bulk of the cognitive workforce. iPhone processors are the basis for those now used in Macs anyway, and they certainly don’t lack oomph when it comes to the performance required for things like deleting emails, browsing the web, watching video, and even editing photos.
All the foundations are in place, and iPadOS already does most of what’s needed on pretty much the same device. Apple would likely lose some of its own market when it comes to the Mac if it did something like this, but the company hasn’t been shy about potentially cannibalizing its sales in other categories when it saw the opportunity. To drive a paradigm shift in how people live with their devices.
Apple will announce an iPhone with a USB-C connector tomorrow, that’s almost certain; What we don’t know yet is whether this will end up being the same story as before, repackaged a bit, or whether it will be the beginning of a new opportunity for Apple to take the lead in what we think of when we hear the word “smartphone.” Personally, I don’t think a desktop mode is in the cards for this year, but I hope it’s something in the works for a future release.