If something doesn’t happen voluntarily, you have to help. The EU’s plan, which primarily targets Apple and its proprietary Lightning connector, has cleared another hurdle. Apple will probably be forced to switch to USB C.
EU forces Apple to use USB-C connector
Update from 01/27/2022: The representatives of the EU countries have approved the proposal for a unified USB-C connector. The proposal thus clears another hurdle. Now only the EU Parliament has to agree and Apple would have to say goodbye to the Lightning connector in the future. Since 2009, attempts have been made to find a solution to avoid e-waste (source: heise).
Original item:
The USB-C connection has already become the standard for many devices. Only not at Apple, because there products like the iPhone are still equipped with a Lightning connector. This is exactly what the new EU resolution is intended to prevent by law. In the future, devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, headphones, mobile game consoles and the like will have to have a USB-C connection. Own connections would be forbidden (Source: EU Commission). Experts assume that Apple should be hit with the law in the first place.
Interestingly, Apple already installs USB-C ports in some products such as expensive iPads or the MacBook, and the power supplies are also equipped with USB-C connectors and cables. With the best-selling products such as the iPhone, the cheap iPads but also AirPods the Lightning connector is still used. If the law is approved, companies will be granted a transitional period of 24 months. Of course, the law only applies to new products.
The EU Commission also recommends that end devices no more cables and power supplies included so that less electronic waste is produced. A uniform standard should ensure that you only need one charger and that it only differs in terms of performance. Manufacturers would then have to specify the power with which the optimal charging speed is achieved.
Even that in Video The iPhone 13 shown also has a Lightning connector:
Connection to the power supply should also be unified
In the first step, the EU Commission only addresses the connection to the end device. Later in a novella the connection to the power pack itself can also be addressed. By then at the latest, not only Apple will be affected, but also many other manufacturers who will probably have to convert their power supplies to the USB-C standard.