iPhone 17 Air: Apple's First Step Toward a Slimmer, Port-Free Future
Apple considered launching the iPhone 17 Air without a USB-C port, signaling a shift toward slimmer, port-free iPhones in the future.
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iPhone 17 Air: Apple's First Step Toward a Slimmer, Port-Free Future
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said that while Apple ultimately decided against making the iPhone 17 Air its first iPhone model without a charging port, the idea is still on the table for future iPhone models. Image:Google He said the iPhone 17 Air will "foreshadow a move to slimmer models without charging ports." "The iPhone 17 Air represents the beginning of a sea change for Apple," he wrote. "Apple executives say that if this new iPhone is successful, the company intends to again attempt to make port-free iPhones and move more of its models to this slimmer approach." Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the first iPhone without a charging port would launch all the way back in 2021, but that did not happen. Apple has shifted from its custom Lightning port to the universal USB-C port on iPhones over the past few years, but the wait for an iPhone without a charging port at all continues.