Apple has an obsession with connectors. It loves Lightning cables, hates 3.5mm auxiliary audio jacks and has removed everything that’s not a USB-C connection from its latest 12-inch MacBook .
It’s so obsessed, apparently, that it has its eye on an 8-pin connector called the Ultra Accessory Connector, or UAC for short. Apple recently included the specification for the new connector type for iPhones, iPads and other iOS devices in its Made-for-iPhone (MFi) licensing program in hopes to get the world ready for a possible switch.
The connector, which some electronics like Nikon cameras have been using for years, is smaller than USB-C at 2.05mm by 4.85mm, and its purpose is to reduce the space needed for connectors on the next generation of third-party devices. Sources close to the matter told 9to5Mac that the connector could replace Lightning and USB-C connections altogether – though the jury’s out if that’s what will actually happen.
In practice, what’s more likely to happen is you might buy a pair of headphones that have a UAC port that then connects to the Lightning port on your phone, or vice-versa. In that sense UAC might help to resolve the USB-C, Lightning Port, 3.
