Apple Will Kill Ports, Power/Volume Buttons In iPhone: Evidence Found In Their Patents (Pics Inside)

So far the rumors have floated for months that Apple might drop the idea of iPhone’s Lightning Port in the coming year 2021 and a newly discovered patent shows us what it could look like. 

How Did This Happen?

As per the reports, the patent was first discovered by Apple Insider and is known as “Electronic device with glass enclosure”.

Going further for more datils, it is described as “An electronic device includes a six-sided glass enclosure defining an interior volume and comprising a first glass member and a second glass member.”

on Aug. 15, 2019, Apple filed this patent and on Thursday, this was published by the patent office. 

While the first reliable reports on the big port move came in December 2019 from noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Also, there’s this image that’s attached to the patent. Although there are dozens of images in the patent, but this one lays it all out. 

What Does This Patent Show?

Basically, the big thing to notice here is the absence of the Lightning Port. But that’s not the only thing going on here, it has more. 

First of all, there are no buttons of any kind. Further, if you see, the volume buttons look to be, as Apple Insider notes, touch controls, as the phone has a waterfall display with the screen going over the edges. 

As the name indicates, this thing is enclosed in glass on all six sides, meaning Apple could be moving toward a completely smooth, glass-encased iPhone completely reliable on wireless charging. 

But, with the exception of the camera, which isn’t addressed in this particular patent.

Back in December 2019, Kuo’s report indicated that the Lightning Port-less phone would likely be the top-tier model of the 2021 iPhone line (the iPhone 13 Pro Max, using Apple’s current naming scheme) while other models (the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13) would retain the Lightning Port. 

Moreover, for what it’s worth, another Apple patent published in 2019 showed off another version of the iPhone that was without the Lightning port. 

Although, that phone also featured a dramatic redesign unlike the one above which still resembles the iPhone we know and love.

Obviously, the thing that needs to be considered here is that patents are just a claim to the idea and design and that none of these designs are guaranteed to ever come to fruition. 

But, as we all know with everything Apple does, it’s always fun to wonder.