Apple is finally removing the Lightning port from its lineup of Mac accessories, at least for the ones shipping with the new iMac the company just announced. This morning, the company announced a new iMac with M4 that comes with updated versions of the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad that include USB-C.
All three have featured the proprietary Lightning port since 2015, but the new models aren’t showing up in Apple’s online store just yet, and no, we don’t know where the port is on the new Magic Mouse.
The shift to USB-C is overdue: all Mac desktops and notebooks had switched to USB-C as their primary connectivity port by 2018. The iPad started getting USB-C the same year, and USB-C arrived on the iPhone in 2023. Switching these accessories to USB-C will allow many Apple device owners to toss their USB-C-to-Lightning cables now that the entire line has switched over.
EU regulators pressured Apple to fully switch from Lightning, with the company ultimately updating the port on the iPhone 15 last year. Apple has been slowly swapping out the ports on its remaining devices since then. Last month, the company upgraded its AirPods Max headphones to USB-C as well (and… didn’t do much else).
In the past few years, Apple has had several opportunities to replace its computer peripherals with new versions that, at the very least, updated how they charge. However, alongside the release of the M1 Mac Mini in 2020, the redesigned M1 iMac in 2021, the Mac Studio in 2022, and each of their spec upgrades in 2023, Apple seemed determined to keep Lightning.
If this is the end of Apple offering these accessories with Lightning, the iPhone SE will become Apple’s final major device with a Lightning port, which may change soon enough.
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