The new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models.

Yeah, the new iPhone 15 Pros have a new Titanium design, action button and improved cameras.

But the biggest news from today's Apple event:

We're bringing USB-C to iPhone 15.

Yep, I basically came all the way to Apple's Cupertino headquarters to see a tiny hole,

and to see if anyone would, well, take my lightning collection, which is basically trash.

But seriously, the switch from Lightning to USB-C may be the biggest iPhone news to impact you in years.

Allow me to answer all your "important" questions.

I want to apologize for that pun.

Number one, what's this port anyway?

There are four new iPhone 15 models and they all have USB-C ports.

It's the same port found on Android phones, iPads and most Windows and Mac laptops,

and pretty much every other modern consumer gadget.

So that means you can charge all those things with one type of cable.

It's goodbye to Apple's favorite proprietary port introduced in 2012.

Our new connector is called Lightning.

This connector is a modern connector for the next decade.

But of course, now Apple is saying this USB-C port is even better, especially on the Pro models.

Using a USB 3.0 cable with iPhone 15 pro enables incredibly fast transfer speeds.

So it's much faster to transfer your large ProRAW photos or ProRes videos to your Mac.

Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can now get 20 times faster transfer speeds than previous iPhones if you have a special USB 3.0 cable.

Another neat trick, you can charge airpods or the Apple Watch directly from an iPhone 15 model with the USB-C connector.

And when you buy an iPhone 15, you'll get a new cable but not just any cable, it's a higher quality rated cable.

That should mean no more of this grossness.

Number two, why is Apple doing this?

Well, to be clear, Apple didn't want to remove Lightning, but the European Union was adamant.

It wanted a common charger.

Really, you can blame this guy.

I'm Alex Agius Saliba, a member of the European parliament.

And some may call you the Lightning murderer?

As you like if you like it. Call me so. No problem at all.

This is the past and this is the present.

Yes, he led the EU legislation that states that by the end of 2024,

mobile phones, tablets, and other gadgets sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C receptacle, aka port.

Apple wasn't happy.

We have benefits for consumers, benefits for the environment, faster when it comes to charging ,faster when it comes to data transfer.

So why should we continue to use Lightning cable?

The only advantage is for Apple to continue to sell proprietary charging solutions, which cost more for our consumers.

We were in Cupertino two years ago trying to meet with Apple as legislators to explain what we were doing.

They were not even engaging, brushing us off saying that they will see when and if the legislation will be approved.

They will see how they will adapt to it.

In an interview with me last year, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak,

argued that this would just create more e-waste since over a billion people would have to get rid of their Lightning cables.

Governments don't get to do what they're going to do and obviously, we'll have to comply.

And we think the approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive.

Which really does lead to our biggest issue: these.

Number three, what do I do with my old cables?

Maybe Tim Cook wants my collection.

He's, he's in there someplace.

There's no way I can get in there.

If you're buying one of these new phones, these are all relics now, essentially trash.

Now, when Android phones went through the micro USB to USB-C transition and laptops from USB-A to USB-C, these sorts of dongles became popular.

And now Apple is continuing its tradition of selling a $29 dongle.

Of course, it's more likely that you'll keep those old lightning cords in a bag or in your drawer.

Apple does say you can recycle your old cords at its stores and there are plenty of recycling options.

But one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Apple doesn't like ports on its phones at all.

RIP headphone jacks.

We're taking the headphones and iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to Lightning.

It really comes down to one word: courage.

The courage to move on, do something new that betters all of us.

And over the years, the company has focused more on its wireless charging MagSafe option.

And for an easy wireless connection to chargers and other accessories, iPhone 15 has MagSafe.

Which means it's really only a matter of time before I come to one of these Cupertino events and see a totally portless iphone and say, "USB, see you later."

I'm not proud.

Yeah, it's down there. RIP Lightning, RIP.