"While the world focuses on Apple's latest slew of new products, we are taking a moment for the last bastion of Apple's proprietary past-the one remaining product with a Lightning connector that, somehow, Apple still sells. We have previously lamented Apple's drawn-out transition to USB-C. It's been far from quick and far from straightforward, leaving a mess of dongles and confusion in its wake."
"The Apple Pencil strategy has been pretty complicated, with Apple selling no less than four different models. The absence of backward compatibility of new Pencils has kept the Gen 1 Pencil in the lineup to service the older Lightning-supporting iPads-as well as being compatible with the 10th- and 11th-Gen USB-C iPads if you didn't fancy forking out for the USB-C Apple Pencil."
The Apple Pencil (1st Gen) remains the only Apple product still sold with a Lightning connector; that Pencil was released in 2015. Apple moved its newest products to USB-C at the September 2024 "Glowtime" event and subsequently migrated current-generation accessories to USB-C. Apple discontinued remaining Lightning iPhones by February following the EU ruling requiring nonproprietary connectors by 2025. Multiple Apple Pencil models exist, and lack of backward compatibility has kept the Gen 1 Pencil available to support older Lightning iPads and some USB-C iPads. Apple typically provides five to seven years of OS support, and iOS 26 compatibility with older iPads that accept only the Gen 1 Pencil reinforces its continued sale.
Read at WIRED
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