Apple is facing the unfortunate prospect of new regulations that would force the company to manufacture future iPhone models and other products with a USB-C port.
Politico reports that the European Commission is working on legal measures that will require phone manufacturers to adopt USB-C ports as the standard. While the vast majority of modern mobile devices currently support USB-C, iPhones continue to feature its own proprietary "Lightning" connector This is especially baffling, given that most new models of iPad and Macbook are charged via USB-C.
The EC has actually been working on legislation aimed at Apple's Lightning charging for some years now, to limited success. However a new legislative proposal presented by the EC later today (September 23) would see all manufacturers, including Apple, forced to adopt a common charging standard by 2024.
Advert
The rules would also apply to other devices, such as cameras, tablets, wireless headphones, and handheld video game consoles. It'll also require manufacturers stop providing a charger with every new phone as standard, in an effort to cut down on e-waste.
Given that most manufacturers already use USB-C, as noted above, it's not hard to work out who this proposal is really taking a shot at.
The proposal must first to pass a vote in the European Parliament. If it does, manufactures have 24 months to comply. It's worth noting that parliament previously voted for new rules on a common charger back in 2020, so it's expected that today's proposal has a strong chance of success.
"Chargers power all our most essential electronic devices. With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary. We are putting an end to that," explained commissioner Thierry Breton in a press release. "With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics - an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste."
Advert
"European consumers were frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers. We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger," European Commission executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager added.
Featured Image Credit: AppleTopics: News
