Third-party hardware manufacturers have finally been given the green light from Apple to start making USB-C to Lightning cables.
The new Made For iPhone (MFi) certification should open the door for a bunch of faster-charging solutions to come out for iPhone owners, but according to the report out of Asia, the new cables will be a little bit more expensive.
Japanese site Mac Otakara claims Apple recently informed companies about the changes this week. Before now, the only way to get a legit USB-C to Lightning dongle was to buy one of Apple’s. Those cables cost $19 or $35 depending on length.
Faster Charging USB-C
USB-C to Lightning cables should start hitting the market in mid-2019 the site claims. Manufacturers that want to make such cables will need to use the new C94 Lightning connector which brings a maximum of 15W of charging to most iPhones and 18W of power to fast-charging iPhones. The only drawback is the upgraded connector costs about 50 cents more.
“Apple plans to move C48 Lightning connector to C89 Lightning connector, C68 Lightning connector to C78 Lightning connector, C12 Lightning connector to C79 Lightning connector,” reports Mac Otakara.
Apple supposedly plans to bundle a USB-C to Lightning cable with its new lineup of 2018 iPhones instead of the usual USB-A to Lightning cable that has been standard for a few years. USB-C cables are required in order to use the iPhone X and iPhone 8’s fast-charging capabilities.
Of course, one of the other drawbacks of USB-C becoming more dominant means your old USB-A ports won’t work with the cables. Ports on your old car chargers and battery boxes won’t work with a USB-C, so you’ll probably have to upgrade a lot of other accessories next year as well to take advantage.
