The New iPhone Could Shake Up the Accessories Industry in a Big Way

Rumors are still swirling around about the upcoming iPhone release. The upcoming iPhone model, which could be called the iPhone 8, iPhone X or iPhone: Tenth Anniversary Edition, hasn't been formally announced yet, but sources are claiming that the new model will ditch the Lightning port in favor of the USB-C port Apple has been using more and more.

And that would be a big, big problem for some.

For starters, Apple introduced the Lightning port five years ago. Since that initial shakeup, the tech accessories world has caught up, and created plenty of items that work with the proprietary port. To shake things up again would force companies that create iPhone accessories to create new variations of products. It could also make a lot of existing items completely obsolete.

The Wall Street Journal caught wind of this and had the following to say:

They said Apple would introduce other updates, including a USB-C port for the powder cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company's original Lightning connector. The models would also do away with a physical home button, they said. Those updates would give the iPhone features already available on other smartphones.

What's more, after Apple got rid of the headphone jack for its iPhone 7, the Lightning port became the de facto input for headphones. A switch to USB-C would either force the development of more USB-C headphones, or push the development of wireless headphones even further. Or, it could just force Apple to make even more adaptors than they already have on the market.

The writing was on the wall for a while. Apple abandoned other ports in favor of the USB-C plug-in for its newer Macbook products.

For tech suppliers, now might be the time to start with more USB-C and Bluetooth items. Apple isn't the only one in the USB-C game, either. Lenovo and Asus are implementing USB-C connections in their products.

So, for distributors selling smartphone accessories: What does this mean to you?