Apple’s plans regarding the iPhone connection port have found themselves in a head-on collision situation with regulations in Europe. As you will remember, the European Parliament approved, last October, the single charger law, a regulation that obliges manufacturers of mobile phones and other devices to use a USB-C port for their charging function. . A measure that, as we have been pointing out for years, seems almost tailor-made for Apple, since practically all manufacturers, with the exception of those from Cupertino, already made the leap to this port some time ago.
Apple has wrestled with this point of late., even going so far as to state that the single charger rule harms innovation. However, these arguments have not helped them get away with it, so they will necessarily have to adapt to this rule if they want to continue selling iPhone in Europe, something that seems unlikely that they are willing to reject. Not surprisingly, a few days after the approval of the standard, the company confirmed that it will comply with it to maintain its presence in the old continent.
However, It seems that Apple’s plans were to establish a clear difference between the official cables (those from the company itself and those included in the Made for iPhone certification program) and the rest, regardless of their quality. Thus, the former would offer the maximum benefits that this medium can provide, the latter would be seriously limited, a measure that seems to go against those environmental interests that those from Cupertino talk about so often.
It seems, however, that this is not going to be possible. As we can read in Zeit Online (in German), the European Commission has told Apple that these limitations are not allowed. «Restrictions on interaction with chargers are not allowed» affirms the EU Commissioner for Industry, Thierry Bretón, in a letter published by the DPA news agency, in which we can also read a notice to sailors: «Devices that do not meet the requirements for the common charger will not be allowed on the EU market«. White and in the bottle… And the thing doesn’t stop there. To avoid any trick that seeks to circumvent this legal framework, Brussels will publish, sometime in the third quarter of this year, a guide whose main objective is to provide a «uniform interpretation of the law»
It is true, however, that Apple still has a certain margin, since the EU granted a 24-month moratorium so that companies could adapt to this new standard. What I mean by this? Well, if you want, Apple will be able to establish this limitation on the iPhone 15, if it is finally confirmed that these have USB-C (something that already seems completely clear). However, the company will no longer be able to sell iPhones with a Lightning port or Variable Speed USB-C based on the cable’s certification (or lack thereof), starting in October 2024.
