Photos Claiming to Be of New Lightning Cable with Reversible USB Connector Surface

Apple may be shipping a new Lightning cable that features a reversible USB connector with forthcoming iOS devices, reports Chinese website Dianxinshouji.com (Google Translate, via Nowhereelse.fr).

reversible_lightning_1
The source shares a few photos of the new cables said to be from Apple supplier Foxconn, with the images showing a USB connector that is attached to the center of its metal casing. By comparison, the USB connector on Apple's current Lightning cable attach against the bottom of the metal housing's inner surface.

reversible_lightning_2
While it is unable to tell for sure whether these cables are legitimate or not, it is possible that Apple could ship new Lightning cables to match the forthcoming USB 3.1 cables that will soon come with newer smartphones. As revealed last week by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, the USB 3.1 Type-C cable comes with reversible ends and will start shipping next year. An Apple patent for a reversible USB connector also surfaced last month, perhaps further indicating that the company will look to equip its newer devices with new Lightning cables at some point.

Furthermore, a report this past May from Mac Otakara claimed that Apple is preparing an upgraded Lightning cable to accommodate high-definition playback on Made for iPhone audio accessories, which may include a next-generation version of its In-Ear Headphones. Apple also introduced Lightning Cable MFi specifications for headphones in June, which could also be integrated with newer Lightning cables.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6, next-generation Retina iPad mini and iPad Air 2 by the end of this year, as a new Lightning cable could technically be packaged with those devices.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

DaveMcM76 Avatar
140 months ago
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

What on earth have you been doing with them? I'm still using the original lightning cable that came with my iPhone 5 getting on for 2 years ago and it's still in near perfect condition...
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
recklesslife85 Avatar
140 months ago
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
szw-mapple fan Avatar
140 months ago
Yes!

My ports are ready!
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TMay Avatar
140 months ago
Working in Apple retail, the most common complaint (many many times a day) is that the Lightning cables have stopped working. They don't last for most people, myself included, and you are very lucky.

And, yet, 100's of millions of Lightning cables haven't failed.

How can that be?

Such is the nature of anecdotal evidence common on these threads.

In California, some 12 (probably even a few more) people were struck by lightning during storms in the last month. Nobody writes about the 38 million that weren't struck.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazecookie Avatar
140 months ago
Working in Apple retail, the most common complaint (many many times a day) is that the Lightning cables have stopped working. They don't last for most people, myself included, and you are very lucky.

I work in Apple retail myself. And registered here just to call out your comment.

If you actually work in retail, you will know they don't just "stop working". They wire comes loose under the wire housing near the lightning connector.

This is for one of two reason. Either the cable is mishandled by tugging the cable to remove it from an iDevice, rather than using the white nib to remove it.

Or, when people are storing the cables, they are not cable tying them correctly (if at all), and the cable is receiving too much strain. Typical example is just stuffing a cable into a handbag.

If you genuinely work at an Apple store, and you're also having lightning cable issues, I would maybe book yourself in for an appointment at the bar and speak to one of your colleagues (because you obviously haven't already) and get yourself educated to manage your cables better. I would be very surprised if you are having lightning cable issues and you work at an Apple store.

Also, saying "very, very lucky" almost proves to me you don't work at an Apple store, of the tens of millions of lightning cables that are in the wild, and the portion that comes back into your store, i would say you have to be extremely, extremely unlucky to have an issue. Let alone an employee.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
till213 Avatar
140 months ago
I work in Apple retail myself. And registered here just to call out your comment.

I am an Apple customer myself. And logged in here just to call out your comment.


If you actually work in retail, you will know they don't just "stop working". They wire comes loose under the wire housing near the lightning connector.

As the OP said: they just "stop working"! As a customer I don't care whether that's because the very obvious "the wire comes loose", the "chip has exploded" or whatever technical reason!

For me "they just stopped working" - and that's all I care about! That, plus that Apple will immediately apologise and replace the cable - pronto!

I expect a cable to last forever (and expensive one as the lightning ones for sure)!

This is for one of two reason. Either the cable is mishandled by tugging the cable to remove it from an iDevice, rather than using the white nib to remove it.

Fair enough...

Or, when people are storing the cables, they are not cable tying them correctly (if at all), and the cable is receiving too much strain. Typical example is just stuffing a cable into a handbag.

What?! I expect to be able to "stuff a cable into my handbag" as much as I want and how I want it!

So you admit - as an apparent Apple employee - that your Lightning cables were not designed to last during "normal daily operations" such as "stuffing the cable away"?!

I tell you what: I "stuffed cables into my handbag" - well, pockets, tiny little drawers, you name it - and they never "stopped working"!

And now you come and tell us to "manage our cables better"! WTF!
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)