Tech

iPhone: Apple will have to replace the Lightning port with USB-C, Europe has decided!

MEPs voted in favor of a long-planned proposal to force Apple, and all tech companies, to adopt USB-C as a common charger, and add a new requirement for a standard for wireless charging. thread.

iphone eu apple abandon lightning

Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba said on Wednesday that the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Affairs Committee voted 43 votes in favor, 2 against and no abstentions in favor of passing the Common Chargers legislation. The proposal announces that only USB-C should be used in Europe.

To justify this decision, the parliamentarians mentioned that mobile chargers represent a large quantity of electronic waste. They claim that mobile device chargers generate 12,000 to over 14,000 tonnes of e-waste every yeare. Lawmakers estimate that a billion of these accessories are shipped every year in Europe alone. To combat this, some manufacturers such as Apple or Samsung have stopped offering free chargers with their smartphones. This strategy has already saved Apple 6 billion euros.

Apple may be forced to switch to USB-C in 2024

The commission wants all mobile phones, tablets, headsets, e-readers, low-power laptops, keyboards, computer mice, headphones, smartwatches and electronic toys to integrate USB Type-C connectivity in their future devices. However, some of the devices on the list, like health trackers, watches, and others with a small form factor, might be exempt.

Thus, if this proposal were to be accepted by this summer, Apple could therefore be forced to abandon the Lightning port of its iPhones and switch to USB-C. The agreement will then have to be examined by the European Parliament and Council. This system would then enter into force in mid-2024, a period necessary to transcribe the measure into national law of the 27 Member States and to give manufacturers time to comply.

For several years now, the European Parliament has been considering standardizing charging ports in order to avoid their multiplication. It is not known if this could push Apple to adopt USB-C in its smartphones, or if the American giant prefer to go 100% wireless by then. On this subject, the new revised proposals also include a call to interoperability of wireless charging technologies by 2026 “.

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