It was an open secret. The iPhone 15 was going to bring the USB-C we’ve talked about so much here. It was up to the European Union, not Apple. But the reality is that in this 2023 we all embrace the USB standard. This is also a business opportunity for Tim Cook’s people.
Apple has just suddenly dispensed with many people’s Lightning cables and accessories by introducing the new iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Four phones, not a Lightning port in sight: Apple is betting on USB-C.
To ease the transition, Apple is selling a bunch of predictably expensive new cables and dongles. Starting with the one you’re almost certainly going to have to buy: the USB-C to Lightning adapter, a €29.99 dongle that you plug your Lightning device or cable into and then plug the dongle into your new phone.
If you’re ready to live the USB-C life to the fullest, you can buy Apple’s one-meter charging cable, which costs $19 and will charge up to 60W. Or, for €29, you can get your hands on a two-meter cable that supports up to 240W of charging power.
Both transfer data at USB 2.0 speeds and should be sufficient for most of your everyday needs. If you want to live the “one cable for everything” life, though, opt for the longer, more powerful one that will charge even your MacBook Pro.
And if you want to get the full juice out of your new iPhone, especially if you’re buying a 15 Pro or Pro Max, you’ll need the €69 Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable. Yes, a cable without a charger or anything else costing almost 70 euros.
This one is one meter long and supports up to 40 Gbps data transfer, which is about 20 times faster than USB 2. It also supports fast charging, but only up to 100 watts.
Mainly, what you have to understand is that USB-C actually means a thousand different things, and the cable you want depends on your specific device you’re going to buy. Even on this, they didn’t want to give us a hand. If you’re European, it’s a bit like the UK with the metric system, you know what I mean.
