Rumor: Apple won’t switch to USB-C and Touch ID in Power button for iPhones

Apple is not switching to USB-C for iPhones, according to TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as revenue from accessories will decrease with the move. Touch ID in the Power button is also not included for the time being. Both functions are on iPads.

Apple is now monetizing its Made for iPhone program of accessories that use the Lightning port that would reduce revenue if the iPhone traded the Lightning port for USB-C, Kuo writes in a report seen by AppleInsider. The same goes for a Touch ID fingerprint scanner in the Power button: that would no longer be in the pipeline either.

Apple does combine both functions in iPads. Last year’s iPad Air can be charged with USB-C and has Touch ID in the Power button. According to Kuo, Apple will at some point switch from the Lightning port to an iPhone without a charging port, but the ecosystem of MagSafe accessories would not be mature enough for that.

The next iPhone SE will appear in the first half of next year, according to Kuo. It keeps the same design as the current SE, but gets 5G support and a newer soc, the analyst says.

Apple iPad Air 2020