Apple has acquiesced to the EU’s rule regarding a standardized charger.
Upcoming iPhone to have different adaptor
Hence, the latest iPhone will feature a USB-C charge point when it is unveiled on 12 September.
Currently its phones use the company’s Lightning adaptor.
The rule
A European Union law requires phone manufacturers to adopt a common charging connection by December 2024.
The common-charger rule covers a range of “small and medium-sized portable electronics”, according to the EU, including:
- mobile phones
- tablets
- e-readers
- mice and keyboards
- GPS (global positioning system) devices
- headphones, headsets and earphones
- digital cameras
- handheld video game consoles
- portable speakers.
Any of these using a wired cable will have to have a USB Type-C port, regardless of who makes the devices.
In the case of laptops manufacturers have longer to make the changes.
Benefits
The intention is to save consumers money and reduce e waste.
Consumers can save “up to €250m [£213m] a year on unnecessary charger purchases” and cut 11,000 tonnes of waste per year.
Buyers will also benefit from using a single charger for iPads, Macs and iPhones.
Apple’s reasoning
Even though several new Apple products such as the latest iPads already use USB-C it challenged the rule.
It said, “Strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.”
End of the lightning cable
The current iPhone 14 would be the last Apple device to use the lightning adaptor, marking the end of the Lightning cable.
However it is yet to be seen whether this will be a global change to the product, seeing as the firm is unlikely to make a different version of the handset for Europe alone.
