From time to time there are rumors that Apple will change the charging ports on iPhones from lightning to USB-C. But this time the rumors are true. Apple had to make this decision because of a new law. It is unclear but iPhone 15 might be the first model with USB-C charging port. Here are the details.
With the new law, iPhones will have a USB-C charging port
The European Union has decided to make USB-C the standard charging port for various electronic devices, including smartphones like the iPhone. For this reason, Apple had to comply with the law and decided to change the charging ports.
The iPhone 15 may be the first model to be affected by this law. The EU’s deadline is 2024 for the switch, but any devices that launch before that deadline could still avoid the USB-C port, iPhone 15 included. “Obviously we’ll have to comply,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said at the Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference on Tuesday.
Joswiak did not say when Apple would introduce USB-C to its flagship smartphone but it would need to happen by 2024. Joswiak explained that USB-C and Lightning are the world’s two most popular connectors, with over 1 billion people using a Lightning cable of some sort.
According to Joswiak, Apple’s belief is that the company struck a balance by using a type of cable that you can disconnect from the power brick, meaning one side can have Lightning and the other can have whichever sort of connector is most convenient for the user, such as USB-C or USB-A.
Joswiak also argues that switching the iPhone from Lightning to USB-C would cause lots of e-waste. The company argued before that such laws could stifle innovation. A few days ago, Apple unveiled the iPad 10, the last tablet in Apple’s lineup to get USB-C connectivity. Also, accessories like the AirPods do not support USB-C connectivity yet, although Apple will surely move those to USB-C in the future. What is your thought about switching lightning to USB-C charging port? You can share with us in the comment section.
