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A hacker made the USB-C iPhone Apple refuses to make
- Someone hacked together an iPhone with a working USB-C port.
- YouTube user Kenny Pi uploaded a video of the working iPhone to his YouTube channel.
- Apple has refused to use USB-C in its iPhones, despite switching to the port on its MacBook and iPad devices.
Ever since the switch away from the big ol’ 30-pin connectors in the iPhone 4, every iPhone since has used Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector for charging and data transfers. But times have changed since then; the world has adopted USB-C as its connector-of-choice, and Apple is one of the only major holdouts still refusing to adopt USB-C for its most popular tech product.
If you want to see an iPhone with a working USB-C connector, YouTube user Kenny Pi has you covered. On October 9, Kenny Pi uploaded a video of a hacked-together iPhone X with a working USB-C port, which can be used for charging and transferring data.
It’s a short video. Kenny Pi says he’s working on a full-length video detailing the entire process, so there’s more to come. From what we can see in the video provided, though, soldering, 3D printing, and some impressive wirework went into making the USB-C iPhone come to life. Peep the video below.
Why is a USB-C iPhone a big deal? Good question. More and more technology products around the world are using USB-C ports. Even Apple has used USB-C in its headphones, laptops, and iPads. Using a proprietary connector like Lightning in the iPhone means more e-waste for the world to deal with. Put another way, iPhone users need to buy a Lightning cable for their iPhone and a USB-C cable for their laptop, iPad, or other devices. Having one USB-C cable to charge all of our devices is the dream, but Apple refuses to help that dream become a reality.
Read more: To solve the e-waste problem, we need fewer disposable devices
Apple can’t hold onto its money-making port forever, though. If the European Commission has its way, Apple could be pushed to use USB-C in future smartphones. That might not take place for a while, however. While we wait for something official, stay tuned to Kenny Pi’s YouTube channel (linked above) to see how he created a working USB-C iPhone.