According to Kuo, “The market expects the iPhone to abandon Lightning in favor of USB-C and equip the power button with the Touch ID sensor. Our latest survey indicates that there is no visibility on the current schedule for the iPhone to adopt these two new specifications.” Kuo also goes on to add that if Apple does abandon Lightning on the iPhone, it would be to go to a portless design.
“We believe that USB-C is detrimental to the MFi business’s profitability, and its waterproof specification is lower than Lightning and MagSafe. Therefore, if the iPhone abandons Lightning in the future, it may directly adopt the portless design with MagSafe support instead of using a USB-C port.”
We have been hearing rumors that Apple is apparently testing out a portless iPhone and are exploring ways in which such a device could recover and restore data without a cable. It would be nice to see a USB-C iPhone as it would make it easier to charge, but if this report is accurate, we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.