It's truly a USB-C world and we're just living in it. Apple has not only announced the new iPhone 16e with a USB-C port and also discontinued the iPhone 14, the final Lightning port relic. That's right, Apple is no longer selling any devices with a Lightning port, the true end of an era.
Once upon a time, the Lightning port was the new guy in town. Apple first introduced it in 2012 as a replacement to the bulky 30-pin dock connector.
The Lightning port didn't go down without a fight, though. While most other companies have been on the USB-C train for some time, Apple only swapped out the Lightning port when the EU forced its hand. In 2022, the EU announced that all new mobile devices — so phones, tablets and earbuds — had to come with a USB-C charging port. The bloc set the end of 2024 as a deadline, but Apple started the shift with its iPhone 15, released in September 2023. Laptops have until Spring 2026 to comply, but Apple has already shifted its MacBooks to USB-C chargers.
Another Apple technology relic, the venerable Home Button, has also been discontinued as of today. The old iPhone SE was the last device in Apple's lineup to feature it — truly a day where some classic Apple interfaces are going away forever.
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