On Twitter, Kuo said that Apple would have chosen the second half of 2023 to begin this transition. The Lightning port would then be 12 years old and, like the 30-pin port (dock) before it, would bow out.
The iPhone 15 would charge via USB Type-C, making it compatible with the charger of a Mac or a Nintendo Switch. We can imagine that the few Apple products with Lightning (AirPods, entry-level iPad, Mac accessories...) will also switch to USB-C.
Why didn't Apple do this earlier?
Already, it is important to remember that between 2012 and the mass adoption of USB Type-C in 2017, Lightning was the best thing going. Next to it, the Micro USB used by the competition seemed very bad.
Apple was right not to wait for USB Type-C, it has made iPhones better. Another advantage is that Lightning is also thinner and breaks less.
However, for the past 5 years, Apple's resistance has been quite disappointing. USB Type-C is present on Macs and iPads, but not on the iPhone, forcing owners of multiple Apple items to carry around multiple chargers.
Why does Apple continue to rely on a proprietary port in 2022, at the risk of multiplying the cables?
The most likely hypothesis is economic. Today, Apple gets a commission on the Lightning accessories it certifies. With USB Type-C, which is universal, it won't be as easy
That's probably why Apple plans to wait until the last moment to adopt USB Type-C, which, while it will probably annoy some iPhone owners at first, will eventually gain full support
Apple will at least get rid of the European problem, although one imagines that updating its entire ecosystem to USB Type-C will take time.