A well-known analyst has claimed that Apple previously considered making the iPhone 17 Air “port-free.”
This meant that the company considered removing the USB-C port for charging and only providing MagSafe charging as its option.
Apple Wanted the iPhone 17 Air to be ‘Port-free’
The latest Power On newsletter by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared this latest scoop about the iPhone 17 Air’s development. Gurman claimed that the removal of ports was considered in order to make the thinner body of the model a reality.
The USB-C port, in particular, comes in a standardized size that has remained unchanged across various devices over the years. Its removal was thought to help reduce the size of the iPhone 17 Air even more as Apple would no longer have to worry about allocating space for it.
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No USB-C Port, MagSafe Charging Only
This meant that Apple’s plan of removing the USB-C port could have eliminated wired charging and the ability to connect it to computers or USB-C connectors for data transfers and more. Moreover, it means the device would have relied on MagSafe charging only, with the magnets at the back of the device being the only way to charge the device’s battery.
Gurman clarified that this is not an official feature as the idea was only considered by Apple. It may not apply on the actual device when it’s released.
iPhone 17 Air Rumors
A lot of buzz has been circulating the release of the iPhone 17 Air. Replacing the iPhone Plus option, the Air is said to be the thinnest device that the company has ever released. In fact, it has been said that Apple is also removing the SIM card slot from the Air in order to reduce its size and profile even more.
Moreover, reports have claimed that Apple is making the iPhone 17 Air as a prototype for a larger project, which is rumored to be the first foldable iPhone that is said to be scheduled for release next year. Foldables in the market have focused on a thin profile, and Apple wanted this to be the case too for the rumored device.
The latest iPhone 16e has been a testament to the Cupertino-based tech giant’s work in making their devices thinner. While it’s not that thin on its own, it debuted the new C1 5G modem that the company designed to be compact and thin. It is expected that this C1 chip will be available on the iPhone 17 Air.
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