Many smartphones have already made the switch to using a USB-C port due to a range of benefits it brings over Micro-USB. Apple has so far stuck to using a Lightning port on the iPhone, and apparently that isn't going to change.
As AppleInsider reports, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently wrote a specifications forecast regarding future iPhone models. As part of that forecast Kuo noted, "The market expects the iPhone to abandon Lightning in favor of USB-C and equip the power button with the Touch ID sensor ... Our latest survey indicates that there is no visibility on the current schedule for the iPhone to adopt these two new specifications."
So regardless of how much consumers may desire a switch to USB-C, it looks as though Apple is set to continue relying on Lightning. As to why, Kuo believes it mainly comes down to the impact switching to USB-C would have on the profitable Made for iPhone (MFi) program. USB-C also carries a lower specification for waterproofing than Lightning, so in that sense it would be a downgrade for the iPhone.
Kuo goes on to suggest that instead of switching, Apple could just continue to use Lightning until it is ready to ship a portless iPhone that's totally reliant on MagSafe for charging. We've already seen a few portless smartphone designs appearing, but as happened with the headphone jack, it's not until Apple decides to do it that everyone else follows.