MaX Saxe Design

Apple Lightning 2 Based on Thunderbolt 4

MaX Falstein @ MSD -

Earlier this year, I authored an article proposing updating Lightning to support USB4 G3x2.

Apple Lightning 2.0 Proposal
Lighting should be an Apple-private form of USB 4.0. Full USB 4.0 can fit into a modified Lightning port.
MaX Saxe DesignMaX Falstein MSD

Having seen the surge in Thunderbolt 4 and its backwards-compatibility to Thunderbolt 3 (useful for full bandwith, non-breakout (via hubs) buses), my proposal for Lighting 2 to be based on USB4 should be superseded by this Thunderbolt 4 proposal which changes very little of the previous article apart from enforcing strict support of some core features of USB4.

Thunderbolt 4 is a stricter, high-end version of USB4.

USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3 with USB 3.2 G1/2.

I would like to see Apple rebuild Lightning with Thunderbolt 4.

Thunderbolt 4 over Lightning would be the stepping stone for M2 in iPhone Pro.

Apple A-class SoCs/SIPs for iPhone and SE.

Apple M-class SoCs/SIPs for iPhone Pro.

This would bring iPhone Pro inline with iPad Pro architecture.

iPad: Apple A SoC

iPad mini: Apple A SoC

iPad Pro: Apple M SoC

iPhone: Apple A SoC

iPhone mini: Apple A SoC

iPhone SE: Apple A SoC

iPhone Pro: Apple M SoC

Building blocks for the desktopification of mobile products.

Thunderbolt 4 over Lightning could allow for macOS to be launched from an iPhone Pro* or iPad Pro via a Thunderbolt 4 dock.
* The dock would need to provide cooling to the iPhone Pro.