The widely rumored “iPhone 17 Air” is anticipated to be Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet, with a weekend Bloomberg News report hinting that the company has explored making it the first port-free iPhone. The report noted that Apple ultimately scrapped the idea, partly due to concerns that eliminating the USB-C port might violate EU regulations. However, 9to5Mac has since obtained confirmation from the EU that removing the USB-C port for a fully port-free design would actually be entirely permissible within the bloc’s existing regulations.
[I]t was my understanding that the Common Charger Directive only said that if a device has a wired charging port then it must be USB-C – that’s not the same as saying a USB-C port is mandatory.
I’ve now confirmed this with European Commission press officer Federica Miccoli, whose remit covers the internal market and industrial strategy, asking whether a portless phone would be compliant with the law.
Yes. Since, such radio equipment cannot be recharged via wired charging, it does not need to incorporate the harmonised (wired) charging solution.
MacDailyNews Take: Ah, the relief and gratitude that the beneficent EU overlords deign it permissible for Apple to create a port-free iPhone is overwhelming; soul-nourishing, even!
Bring it on! Perfectly sealed, virtually waterproof, and totally wireless would be great! Port-free is how we use our iPhones today anyway. With wireless CarPlay (in supported vehicles or via inexpensive third-party adapters), we haven’t plugging anything into that Lightning [USB-C] port at the bottom of our current iPhones – ever. It might as well not even be there, collecting pocket lint for no good reason. – MacDailyNews, February 28, 2020
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Wireless charging doesn’t work with my iPhone wallet. Probably doesn’t work with most of them due to thickness or the presence of cards in the wallet.
I recently made the switch to my new M4 Mac mini, and I absolutely love it. However, I’ve found that the only way for me to join a FaceTime call or a Teams call with my office is by tethering my iPhone 16 to my Mac mini using a USB-C to USB-C connection.
I don’t want a port-free iPhone. I need some place to attach the dock where I can plug the SSD for recording video and also to power the phone. AirPlay doesn’t work everywhere (like Hotels where your WiFi is set so you can’t see other things on the network), so sometimes you need a USB-C to HDMI. Sync’ing data (video, audio) is MUCH faster via cable. And it charges much faster via cable than via MagSafe. And the occasional time where you need to reload the OS to fix an issue (which is in some cases the Apple-recommended way to fix the issue) you need to plug it into a computer.