Officially and definitively: by the end of 2024, Apple will market iPhones and iPads with only USB-C input in the European Union countries, thus actually meeting the Union's requirement, a requirement that this connection become the continent's charging standard.
In a recent interview held by Apple's VP of global marketing, Greg Joswiak, to the Wall Street General newspaper, the executive admitted that Apple will make the move not of its own volition or initiative, but because "we have no other choice but to comply with local laws". Yes, Joswiak didn't reveal whether Apple plans to abandon its unique Lightning connector in other parts of the world that haven't yet required it. However, it's believed to be what will eventually happen, as Apple will presumably no longer make phones with charging connectors different depending on the continent, and that the EU approach will eventually be implemented in other countries and continents as well.
iPhone with USB-C charging socket.
Soon in the European Union, Photo: None
As you may recall, a few weeks ago Apple received another blow, this time from Brazil, where the company was fined $19 million as punishment for removing the chargers from its iPhone packaging, effectively forcing consumers to purchase chargers separately.
Although the Brazilian government is also urging Apple to switch to a USB-C connection, the issue has not yet reached the legislative stage in the largest country in South America.
"We have no choice".
Apple, photo: Reuters
It should also be noted that pleas to make USB-C the charging standard have also been heard in the US in recent months, when leading senators such as Bernie Sanders (Vermont), Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren (both from Massachusetts) are trying to promote legislation on the matter. The three maintain that "unique chargers constitute an environmental hazard after they are thrown in the trash, and/or when consumers switch to another phone brand and stop using them." significantly, if not completely eliminated.
iPhone 14 Pro, photo: PR
There is no doubt that a global switch to USB-C is a correct and necessary step, and Apple, the only company that still insists on its own private charging method, will simply have to adapt - or actually charge - itself to the new world order.
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