[taylodl]

Apple took a lot of grief for retiring the 30 pin connector and USB-C didn't yet exist when they did so. At the time I recall Apple saying they would support Lightning for 10 years. That was 9 years ago. It makes sense that the AirPods would use the same connector as the iPhone - imagine the mess that would be if they didn't! Anyway, since next year is the 10 year anniversary of switching to Lightning I suspect that's when they're going to transition all the iDevices (except Watch) to USB-C.

[massysett]

iDevices won’t go USB-C, they’ll go straight to all wireless. No point in having just one or two years of iPhone on USB-C before they go wireless.

[taylodl]

You're probably right. I know I don't use the wire to charge my phone any longer. Also eliminates a port which should improve the device's water resistance.