The iPhone 7 comes with a USB-A to Lightning cable in the box. The new MacBook Pros only have a USB-C port. There’s no way Apple is switching out the Lightning port in the iPhone to USB-C any time soon (iOS is a closed, secure platform and Lightning is a key to keeping it that way). Neither are we going to see a Lightning connector on the MacBook any time soon (not nearly as versatile as the USB-C port). So that raises the question, how do you charge your iPhone with the new MacBook Pros.
1. USB-C to USB adapter
If you get a USB-C to USB-A cable, you’ll be able to attach the USB end of the Lightning cable into this adaptor, then connect the USB-C port to the MacBook.
This also means you now have a backwards compatible dongle for basically all of your USB devices – thumb drives, external hard drives and more.
If you’re going to buy the new MacBook Pros but you still transfer a lot of data using USB, you’re going to need this adaptor anyway. So might as well just use it for charging the iPhone.
Buy: USB-C To USB Adaptor ($19.99)
2. USB-C To Lightning Cable
This one of the the dongle-haters. Or the dongle-losers. Just get this cable and carry it around as one of your charging cables.
Apple’s official USB-C to Lightning cable costs $25 but if you look around at Amazon for some third party options, you might be able to find some better deals.
Buy: Apple’s USB-C to Lightning Cables ($25)
Carry A Portable Charger
Here in India I’m used to seeing portable chargers (or as we Indians call them – power banks) everywhere. Basically no one leaves the house without one (especially if they have a mid-range Android phone.
But a cheap portable charger can be really helpful for charging up the iPhone 3-5 times. What’s cooler is that if you get one with high enough capacity, you might even be able to charge the new MacBook Pros with it (we know it’s possible for the 12 inch MacBook).
MacBook: The Original Portable Charger
MacBooks were of course the original portable chargers. Just plug in your iPhone when you’re working on the Mac and it charges up.
Well, that was years ago. When we used to spend so much time on the Mac. But no, the center of our attention is the iPhone itself. So think about it, when was the last time you even used your MacBook to charge your iPhone.
Also, you can charge your iPhone the normal way if you carry your power adaptor with you (you should).
How Will You Cope?
How do you plan to cope with all these sudden changes? My current plan is to stick with my Mid 2014 MacBook Pro for a year or two more. Share your plans in the comments below.
