If you are discouraged by the possibility that Apple will not include a charger with the iPhone 12 series and will not include wired EarPods, there may be one silver lining.

Twitter user and leaker @L0vetodream has released four images of the white braided USB-C - Lightning cable that is rumored to be included with Apple's upcoming devices. Apple does not currently offer a braided Lightning cable. At least, if you're not spending $6,000 on a Mac Pro, you don't need a braided Lightning cable.

Braided cables are usually more durable and less likely to tangle than silicone-covered cables. However, as MacRumors points out, the white cable that will be included with the next-generation iPhone significantly lacks the silicone reinforcement around the edges of the black cable in the Mac Pro version.

It is also unclear at this stage whether this USB-C - Lightning cable will be included with all iPhone 12 models or only with the higher-end Pro models. Last year's entry-level 6.1-inch iPhone 11 included a USB-A cable and a standard 5W adapter, rather than Apple's newer and faster USB-C-based accessory.

Ironically, this may be the last hurrah for Lightning cables. Insiders have hinted that Apple will ditch the cable in at least one model of the iPhone 13 and may go completely portless, opting instead for wireless charging or a Smart Connector similar to the one used by the iPad Pro.

After all, getting a braided Lightning cable would be a somewhat hollow consolation prize for missing out on an adapter and wired headphones. Apple will reportedly release a new 20-watt fast charger, sold separately, around the time the iPhone 12 arrives. This will likely replace the current 18-watt brick, which costs as much as $30.

Yesterday, a report from the rather dubious Macotakara claimed that the iPhone 12 launch event would be pushed back to October, based on information from "multiple suppliers in China."

While the LTE-only iPhone 12 model may be released in the same month, the 5 G-enabled models would be delayed until November. Again, the track record of this source is pretty hit and miss overall, but given that 2020 was the case, further delay is certainly not out of the question.