To comply with European Union‘s new regulations asking all smartphones to have a common USB-C port from 2024, Apple has confirmed that it will be changing the primary cable for the upcoming iPhones with a common USB-type C charging cable. Apple Marketing Chief Greg Joswiak, while speaking to the media, said that the company has to comply with the EU law to switch the iPhone to a USB-C port.
Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, while speaking to the media at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference said the company will “obviously” be forced “to comply” with the EU rule. “We have no choice,” Joswiak said, however, he did not say anything about the timeline of the switch or if iPhones and other Apple products sold outside the EU will also have the USB-C port.
In September 2021, the EU proposed the adoption of a common USB-C charging port on all devices to reduce electronic waste. Earlier this month, the European Parliament voted in favor of the rule mandating brands to use the USB type-C port as a common charging standard by 2024, giving brands a timeline of 24 months to switch their devices to USB-C ports. As per the regulation, even previous devices launched with ports like Apple’s Lightning connector will not be officially allowed to be up for purchase in Europe after the deadline.
Joswiak further said that he “doesn’t mind governments telling us what they want to accomplish,” adding that Apple has “pretty smart engineers” to figure out the technical ways to accomplish things.
Meanwhile, India’s federal government has also set up committees of experts to explore the adoption of a common charger for all portable electronic devices and the expert groups will have to submit a detailed report along with their recommendations. A similar demand for a common charging port is sprouting in the U.S. as well.
