These Apple Products Are Still Sold With Lightning Following iPhone 15's Switch to USB-C

As widely expected, all four iPhone 15 models are equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port. Apple also made the AirPods Pro available with a USB-C charging case, and released wired EarPods with a USB-C connector.

lightning connector feature purple
Nevertheless, there are a handful of Apple devices and accessories that are still sold with Lightning, which debuted on the iPhone 5 back in 2012:

  • iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE
  • Ninth-generation iPad
  • Second-generation and third-generation AirPods
  • AirPods Max
  • First-generation Apple Pencil
  • Magic Keyboard (Mac version)
  • Magic Mouse
  • Magic Trackpad
  • Various cables and adapters

Apple did discontinue its MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo Charger accessories with Lightning following the iPhone 15 event.

Some of these products will likely be updated with USB-C in the future, such as the AirPods Max and the trio of Magic accessories for the Mac, while previous-generation products in the list like the older iPhones, iPad, and Apple Pencil will eventually be discontinued. Until then, the Lightning era of Apple is not completely over.

Popular Stories

apple music chatgpt

ChatGPT's Apple Music Integration Is Now Live

Wednesday December 17, 2025 3:50 pm PST by
There's now a dedicated Apple Music app for ChatGPT, which allows ChatGPT to make music recommendations and build playlists. Apple Music can be added to ChatGPT through the Settings section in the Mac app, website, or iOS app. Apple Music is listed under the apps option, and connecting to it requires signing in with your Apple Account for authorization purposes. ChatGPT can be used to...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
top stories 2025 12 20

Top Stories: iOS 26.3 Beta, Major Apple Leaks, and More

Saturday December 20, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd think things would be slowing down heading into the holidays, but this week saw a whirlwind of Apple leaks and rumors while Apple started its next cycle of betas following last week's release of iOS 26.2 and related updates. This week also saw the release of a new Apple Music integration with ChatGPT, so read on below for all the details on this week's biggest stories! Top Stories i...
airpods pro 3 new blue

AirPods Pro 3's Static and Noise Issues Haven't Been Resolved

Thursday December 18, 2025 3:44 pm PST by
Since the AirPods Pro 3 launched, there have been complaints from users who have noticed a static-like sound or a crackling issue when using the earbuds, particularly when Active Noise Cancellation is on but no media is playing. Users have also run into strange high-pitched whistling sounds that happen intermittently. We shared the issues back in late October, and despite two subsequent...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple's 2026 and 2027 Product Roadmap: Foldable iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, M5 Macs, and More

Tuesday December 16, 2025 4:42 pm PST by
There has been a whirlwind of rumors over the last few days, sourced from leaked internal software designed for the iPhone and the Mac, and news sites like The Information. Below, we have a quick recap of everything we've heard this week, which serves as a guide to Apple's product plans in 2026 and beyond. We've organized the info by likely release date, though there are some products that...
iOS 26 Maps Glass

Apple Quietly Discontinued Flyover City Tours in Apple Maps

Thursday December 18, 2025 1:31 pm PST by
Apple Maps no longer offers a Flyover feature that provides users with automated tours of notable landmarks in major cities. The Flyover option appears to have been nixed around when iOS 26 launched, but its removal went largely unnoticed. Flyover city tours were introduced in 2014 with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, using Flyover imagery to generate an aerial tour. Most cities with Flyover...
ios 18 security update

Don't Want to Upgrade to iOS 26? Here's How to Stay on iOS 18 [Update: Now Unavailable]

Friday December 19, 2025 10:37 am PST by
Since the beginning of December, Apple has been pushing iPhone users who opted to stay on iOS 18 to install iOS 26 instead. Apple started by making the iOS 18 upgrades less visible, and has now transitioned to making new iOS 18 updates unavailable on any device capable of running iOS 26. If you have an iPhone 11 or later, Apple is no longer offering new versions of iOS 18, even though there...

Top Rated Comments

LittleFriend Avatar
30 months ago
Thanks for confirming that the older iphones will not be retroactively magically updated in people's houses to have a new port.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Magnus81 Avatar
30 months ago

Aside from being proprietary ($), is there any benefit of lightning over USB-C?
I think lightning may be better at handling dust/lint, or removing such? As it does tend to build up over time from pockets.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rychiar Avatar
30 months ago
how bout redesigning the mouse from scratch along with the port change….
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eminemdrdre00 Avatar
30 months ago

Don't forget the Apple TV remote!
That switched to USB-C last year.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboi Scaphandre Avatar
30 months ago
They might be waiting for the next iMac refresh to move the Mac mice and keyboards to USB-C.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hornet9988 Avatar
30 months ago
Don't forget the Apple TV remote!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)