New Delhi, May 11 (IANS): Apple is set to abandon iPhone Lightning port in favour of the universally accepted USB-C smartphone port in 2023, a top Apple analyst claimed on Wednesday.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet that new iPhones next year will come with the all-popular USB-C port.

"My latest survey indicates that 2H23 (second half of 2023) new iPhone will abandon Lightning port and switch to USB-C port. USB-C could improve iPhone's transfer and charging speed in hardware designs, but the final spec details still depend on iOS support," Kuo said in a tweet.

Apple introduced the Lightning port standard in September 2012.

Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow who is responsible for leading App Store and Apple Events, had called it "a modern connector for the next decade".

According to Kuo, it is expected to see existing USB-C-related suppliers of Apple's ecosystem (e.g., IC controller, connector) become the market's focus in the next 1-2 years, "thanks to vast orders from iPhones and accessories' adoption of USB-C ports."

The smartphone industry at large has adopted the reversible USB-C standard.

Apple recently added USB-C to its most recent iPads and using USB-C-compatible Thunderbolt ports on many Macs.

The European Union is also considering a proposal that would make USB-C ports mandatory on smartphones and other electronics.