Apple Still Sells These Devices With Lightning After Discontinuing iPad 9 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Still Sells These Devices With Lightning After Discontinuing iPad 9

by

Apple discontinued the ninth-generation iPad with a Lightning port last week, meaning that its entire iPad lineup now uses USB-C. However, the company still sells a handful of devices and accessories with Lightning for now.

lightning connector feature purple
The list of products that Apple still sells with a Lightning port or connector includes some older iPhone models, the standard AirPods, the over-ear AirPods Max, the first-generation Apple Pencil, and a trio of Magic accessories for the Mac:

  • iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE
  • Second-generation and third-generation AirPods
  • AirPods Max
  • First-generation Apple Pencil
  • Magic Keyboard
  • Magic Mouse
  • Magic Trackpad

Apple has been gradually switching most of its products to USB-C, including the entire iPhone 15 series and the second-generation AirPods Pro last year, and AirPods Max with a USB-C port are rumored to launch later this year. Apple also discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack and the MagSafe Duo Charger, which charge via Lightning.

Apple first introduced the Lightning port on the iPhone 5 in 2012.

Tag: Lightning

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Read Full Article • 43 comments
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
Read Full Article • 87 comments

Top Rated Comments

L
LawJolla
26 months ago
The magic accessories continuing to use lightning -- especially when they should have always been USB -- is just brutal.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mthomas184 Avatar
mthomas184
26 months ago

I bet if you were the only Lightning iPhone in a family of Androids, you’d have been asking for the switch sooner.
Nope. Just means I wouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing my cables. ;)
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcilwraith Avatar
mcilwraith
26 months ago
USB C is great. lightning was great. who cares!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J
jntdroid
26 months ago
Try being the only one in a family of 5 (all Apple) to switch to a phone with USB-C and you'll find out real quick how much the general public doesn't care about this and even finds it a hassle... for now at least. :)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carswell Avatar
carswell
26 months ago
In January, I started developing repetitive stress injury in my right hand and forearm that I assumed - correctly it turns out - was related to mouse usage. Being extremely right-handed, mousing with my left hand seemed ill advised, so I thought of getting a Magic (jeesh, do I hate that descriptor) Trackpad but balked when I saw it was still a Lightning device.

Having finally achieved "one cable to rule them all" status (well, except for the micro USB cable for powering my e-reader until I get a new one), I'm not about to go back and so opted instead for a small ambidextrous mouse that I've learned to use - clumsily but less and less so - with my left hand. Doubt I'll be opting for a MT now.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QCassidy352 Avatar
QCassidy352
26 months ago

USB C is great. lightning was great. who cares!
I agree that both are totally fine, but it’s annoying to have different devices that aren’t using the same standard. So having started the move to usb-c, they should now hurry up and finish it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments