Why Apple Skips Fast Charging?

Why Apple Skips Fast Charging: It’s a Trade-Off, and They’re Cool with It—Just Like Jobs Said

let’s dive into why Apple’s still chilling with slower charging while others are out here flexing 55W or more. It’s not just one thing—it’s a whole mess of trade-offs. Maybe it’s about keeping the iPhone sleek and thin while packing in other features. Maybe it’s the Lightning port’s limitations holding things back. Or, yeah, maybe it’s about saving a few bucks to keep those profit margins juicy. Whatever the reason, it’s a deliberate choice Apple’s made, and the result is what we’ve got.

As Steve Jobs himself put it (paraphrasing slightly): “We’re all about making kickass products. We’ve got the guts to say, ‘Nah, this feature doesn’t make the cut for a great product, so we’re ditching it.’ Some folks will hate it, call us out, say we’re screwing over our own interests. Fine, we’ll take the heat. Why? Because we’re laser-focused on building the best products in the world for our users. We’re betting on tech we think is the future, the stuff that’ll really matter to customers. And guess what? People are paying us to make these calls. Tons of them are shelling out cash for us to keep doing what we do. If we nail it, they’ll buy. If we don’t, they won’t. It’s that simple—let the market decide.”

So, yeah, Apple’s sticking to their guns. Fast charging might not fit their vision right now, whether it’s about design, battery longevity, or just their philosophy of “less is more.” Jobs’ words still ring true: love it or leave it, vote with your wallet.

agreed , fact

break down why Apple’s charging game is stuck in the slow lane, and it starts with the cold, hard physics of their Lightning port. Since the iPhone 5, Apple’s been ride-or-die with Lightning, all the way up to the iPhone 13 series. Here’s the deal: Lightning can only handle a max current of 3A. At 9V, that’s 27W—pretty much the ceiling for charging power. Someone recently tested the iPhone 13 Pro in a lab setup and hit close to 27W, which proves it’s tapped out at that limit.

Meanwhile, Android phones have fully embraced USB-C, which is a beast. USB-C’s current standard supports up to 120W, and it’s only halfway to its full potential. The USB Implementers Forum in the US just announced that USB-C will soon support up to 240W. That’s a whole different league. As long as Apple sticks with Lightning, they’re gonna be squeezing that toothpaste tube for charging upgrades—27W is basically their hard cap.

But let’s get to the juicy part: why’s Apple so loyal to Lightning? One word—money. Third-party accessory makers (think cables, not chargers) need Apple’s MFi (Made for iPhone) certification to play ball, and that means coughing up licensing fees to Apple. We’re talking billions in revenue every year just from that sweet, sweet certification cash. Why would Apple ditch that for USB-C and give up their golden goose?

Now, the EU’s throwing a wrench in the works. They’re fed up and pushing a mandate to standardize all phone charging ports to USB-C to cut down on electronic waste. Apple’s “no charger in the box” move was already their eco-friendly flex, but the EU’s like, “Nah, standardizing ports is real environmentalism.”

So, Apple’s in a bind: stick with Lightning for the MFi cash and keep squeezing the toothpaste, or bow to the EU and switch to USB-C, which could unlock way faster charging but kill their accessory revenue stream. What’s it gonna be?

20W Ain’t Slow—Full Charge in an Hour Is Plenty!