The EU has delayed the deadline for when all new phones and other mobile devices sold in the region will have to use USB-C for wired charging.
Apple has a free pass to delay the switch to USB-C for the iPhone 15, with the European Union pushing the deadline for all new mobile devices sold in the region to use USB-C to 2024. The news comes a few months after the European Parliament passed the legislation. The law has been a long time in the making, with efforts to get smartphone manufacturers to use the same charging standard dating back to at least 2009. That initiative led to the mass adoption of micro-USB, followed by USB-C.
While the new regulation will apply to all consumer electronics companies, most of them already use a USB-C port, with some still using the older micro-USB standard. The only major holdout currently is Apple, which continues to use the age-old Lightning connector as the wired charging interface in iPhones. However, following the EU legislation, Apple confirmed that it would comply with the new law and switch its iPhones to USB-C.
The EU has announced that all mobile devices sold in the region from Dec. 28, 2024 will have to include a USB-C port for wired charging. According to a new document published on the official EU website, the new law will come into effect in 20 days’ time (on Dec. 28, 2022), following which EU member states will have 24 months to ensure compliance within their respective jurisdictions. While the EU lawmakers originally announced ‘Autumn 2024’ as the tentative deadline, a press release in October clarified that it was postponed to ‘the end of 2024.’
Why Apple Should USB-C On The iPhone 15
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Even though Apple did not officially confirm when it plans to drop Lightning in favor of USB-C, persistent rumors suggest that the iPhone 15 could be the first iPhone to make the switch. The new EU deadline gives Apple the opportunity to delay USB-C to the iPhone 16 launched in 2024, but doing that would just be postponing the inevitable. Lightning is an outdated standard, and given the Apple has switched most of its lineup to USB-C, including iPads and MacBooks, it doesn’t make sense to use a different charging port for the iPhone.
For those not entirely sure about the hype surrounding USB-C, it is worth knowing that there are several benefits to the new technology. First off, it will potentially offer substantially faster charging and data transfer speeds than Lightning. Secondly, a universal charging interface is also expected to be environmentally friendly by reducing e-waste and saving consumers millions of dollars in extra cable and charger purchases. As for the iPhone 15 lineup potentially switching to USB-C, a report from September claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max could come with Thunderbolt 4 ports, which will give them faster connectivity while remaining compliant with the EU law.
Source: EUR-Lex
