Apple can't stop making different (and bigger) Lightning connectors

Many of us might be accustomed to seeing the regular-sized Lightning connector on Apple devices. The one that is now a thing of the past on the latest iPhones after Apple got arm-twisted by the European Union. But some recent discoveries suggest that the Cupertino giant isn't done with Lightning connectors yet.

Apple's Vision Pro headset went on sale this week and early adopters of the device found a max-sized Lightning connector attached to the external battery pack. The 12-pin connector can be detached from the Vision Pro battery pack using a SIM removal tool.

However, it wasn't long before iFixit found an even bigger connector dubbed "Lightning Ultra" hiding inside the $3,499 Vision Pro headset while working on a teardown. This 10-pin connector, which is reportedly the biggest ever, is present inside the audio strap that attaches to the made unit, as per the shared image.

"Looks like someone stuck to their New Year’s resolution. This Lightning connector's been hitting the weights," iFixit wrote in a post on X. Speaking of which, other users have also shared images of the gigantic Lightning connector made for the Vision Pro.

Lightning is a proprietary connector designed by Apple that made its first appearance in 2012. It was fitted on the iPhone 5 and replaced Apple's 30-pin connector used by previous iPhone models. The connector quickly made its way to other Apple products, including iPads, Magic accessories, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

Apple finally switched to the USB-C connector more than a decade later with the iPhone 15 series, although, it had already ditched Lightning on various products. The Lightning connector is still present on some of its devices such as the AirPods Max. Nonetheless, with the Vision Pro, Apple didn't skip a chance to show how much love it has for its home-baked connector.