2019 iPhone May Use USB Type-C Port Instead of Lightning, 7th Gen iPod touch Likely to Be in Works: Report

Apple last year favoured USB Type-C against its proprietary Lightning port while designing the latest iPad family. Now, the Cupertino company is reported to move a step further towards the advancement and offer a USB Type-C port on its 2019 iPhone. It is also said that the Tim Cook-led team could finally update the iPod touch lineup by launching the seventh-generation iPod touch model. Apple launched the sixth-generation iPod touch back in July 2015 and discontinued the iPad nano and iPod shuffle in July 2017.

Citing Apple supply chain sources from CES 2019, Japanese blog Macotakara reports that the next-generation iPhone in 2019 could potentially come with a USB Type-C port instead of a Lightning port. It is, however, said that the company hasn't reached a design reference step.

Last year, it was reported Apple is redesigning chargers and related interface to offer a USB Type-C port on the 2019 iPhone family. The company was originally speculated to bring the universal interface to the 2018 iPhone lineup, though it formally ended up with the iPad Pro models only.

Apart from giving fresh speculation towards the USB Type-C on 2019 iPhone models, Macotakara reports that supply chain sources at the recent CES suggested that Apple might be in the development of a seventh-generation iPod touch. The new model could be a successor to the sixth-generation iPod touch that had debuted back in July 2015.

The iPod family that came into existence way back in 2001 got streamlined to the iPod touch - with the discontinuation of the iPod nano and iPod shuffle in July 2017. However, the company at the same time discontinued the 16GB and 64GB storage models and revised the prices of the existing iPod touch variants to attract music lovers around the globe.

Apple might use a new iPod touch model to push its subscription-based services, including Apple Music. The hardware could also be helpful for some other services that Apple is planning to bring this year.