The EU has finally forced Apple’s hand. According to international reports and inside expert opinions, the new iPhone 15, which will be unveiled on 12th September, is likely to have a USB-C cable charging point instead of its proprietary Lightening cable.
This follows in the wake of Apple’s official acknowledgment last year, at a Wall Street Journal event, that they would make the switch for upcoming devices. The EU Law passed last year is in favour of a common and interchangeable charging point for all mobile devices and requires phone manufacturers to fall in line by December 2024.
Apple’s worldwide marketing chief, Greg Joswiak had stated at the WSJ’s Tech Live event in October 2022 that Apple will “obviously… have to comply”, further saying “we’ve no choice”. This compliance now seems likely to be happening next week, and if it does, it will put Apple a year ahead of the EU deadline.
The law does not only apply to phones but also to other “small and medium-sized portable electronics” such as tablets, e-readers, headphones, earphones and headsets, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles, to name a few.
This move will save consumers “up to €250m a year on unnecessary charger purchases” and cut “11,000 tonnes of e-waste annually”.
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