iPhone 6 Lightning cable 'to end USB frustration'

One of the unbroken rules of modern life is that anyone plugging in a USB cable will first try to put it in the wrong way up. Now, with the iPhone 6, Apple looks set to end that particular first-world problem.

Reports suggest that the new handset, expected to launch next month, will come with a "Lightning" cable that can be plugged into a USB port either way up.

Existing Apple products come with Lightning cables that can be plugged into an iPhone or iPad either way around, but still have to be lined up correctly with the USB port.

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Does Apple slow old iPhones before a new release?

The latest leaked images and patent filings suggest that when Apple launches the iPhone 6, probably next month, it will introduce a cable that's reversible at both ends.

The Australian blogger Sonny Dickson, who has a good track record for leaking accurate information about forthcoming Apple products, tweeted an image of the new cable yesterday.

The Guardian suggests that Apple has been working on the new cable for some time.

"A patent filed in 2013 by Apple, however, describes 'reversible or dual orientation USB plug connectors' that can be plugged into any standard computer USB port to "reduce the potential USB connector damage and user frustration'," the paper says. "The connector design would be compatible with any current and future full-sized USB ports on computers and other devices."

Not everyone has welcomed the news of Apple's apparent breakthrough, with some seeing it as yet another way in which the company seals its products off from the rest of the technological ecosystem.

"The joke goes: if there is a universal standard Apple will find a way to make it proprietary," writes Gordon Kelly for Forbes. "Well now it seems not even USB is safe."

Apple has a track record of moving in the opposite direction from its rivals. As most of the smartphone industry standardised its charging and docking cables, Apple introduced the first Lightning cable, which was incompatible with all other devices, including previous models of iPhone.

Its latest move also puts Apple at odds with its rivals, who are preparing to step away from the existing USB cable. A new "Type-C" cable, with a much smaller USB connector, is expected to appear before the end of the year. It will be faster than its predecessor – and there will be no "wrong way" to insert it – but it will not be compatible with existing devices or ports.

This could lead to a novel situation in which the iPhone 6 is compatible with more existing PC equipment than new Android or Windows smartphones. The catch is that the Apple cable will not be compatible with the Type-C USB cable – although it's likely that new and old USB ports will exist alongside each other for some time.