Apple may be adding a new kind of Lightning cable in the box of the new iPhone 12, which could stop it breaking quite so often.
According to leaker L0vetodream on Twitter, and reported by 9to5Mac, Apple’s new charging cable will be a USB-C to Lightning connector with a braided design.
This will replace the usual USB-A to Lightning connector that is currently used with all modern iPhones, the reports claimed.
Braided cables are usually stronger than the standard variety and could fix an oft-mentioned complaint from iPhone-owners: that Lightning cables shipped today are not durable enough for how much they are used.
As such, many users are pushed into spending nearly £20 on a new Lightning to USB-A cable or Lightning to USB-C cable.
Apple charges the same price for each cable, regardless of length, on its website.
Apple has never offered a braided version of its charging cable for the iPhone, either free or for purchase separately. But it does ship braided cables with other products, such as the iPad Pro and the HomePod.
The addition of a stronger Lightning cable could also soften the blow of another rumour: that Apple will be launching its next iPhone without a charger in the box.
According to analysts, Apple will launch the next iPhone without wired earbuds or a power adapter.
This could be for several reasons, such as Apple attempting to reduce its environmental footprint, a cost-saving measure due to an increase in price because of 5G connectivity, or because the next iPhone will launch with no ports at all.
Apple is not the only company making decisions like these. Samsung’s 2021 smartphones may also come without chargers, according to reports, and is apparently “discussing how to remove the charger from smartphone components with related companies.”
The reasons behind the move are similar – rising production costs and the ubiquity of the USB-C charging cable regularly found on Android phones.
While there could be a knock-on effect on other industries, Samsung reportedly believes that chargers have been adequately provided over the past decade.
