Apple Vision Pro sneaks in a mutated lightning connector

Apple’s Vision Pro is keeping Lightning alive! Before Apple adopted the USB-C port with the iPhone 15, the older iPhones used the Lightning Port for several years, which was a pain.

Even if you had switched to the USB-C for your other devices, including some from Apple, you still needed to carry a Lightning cable just for your iPhone.

We were relieved when Apple introduced the iPhone 15 series with a USB-C port, and we thought Lightning was dead. Boy were we wrong.

Apple has re-introduced the lightning port and connector in its biggest form yet with its latest product – Vision Pro, but it’s a mutated version of the connector, and it’s hidden.

Was a giant lightning connector necessary for the Vision Pro battery pack?

The Apple Vision Pro features an external battery pack, which you can charge with USB-C. However, the connection between the battery pack and the headset is established through the company’s proprietary connector on the headset end. 

Initially, it was assumed the cable connected to the external battery pack could not be removed. 

However, journalist Raymond Wong has discovered that it can be disconnected with the help of a SIM card ejector tool. 

l used a SIM card push pin to "unlock" the cable connected to the Apple Vision Pro battery pack. It popped right out. pic.twitter.com/tShScpMlvr

— Ray Wong (@raywongy) January 31, 2024

Surprisingly, the released cable reveals an oversized lightning connector. 

Wong even shared images comparing the oversized lightning connector to a regular lightning connector, and you can clearly see the difference. He even compared it to a USB-C connector.

Interestingly, Apple doesn’t advertise the external battery pack has a removable cable. 

While most users will never see it, we can’t figure out why the company didn’t use a USB-C connector instead. 

Even a standard Lightning connector was understandable, but Apple developed a humongous connector specially for the Vision Pro, to deliver the necessary power. 

In fact, it’s possible the oversized lightning cable handles Vision Pro’s power requirements better than even USB Power Delivery.

Whatever the case, we understand this much – Apple just won’t let lightning die.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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