Apple iPhones will soon use a USB-C charging port in order to comply with a common charger directive from the European Union.
The Council of the European Union approved a mandate Monday to require device makers to use a USB-C port starting in 2024. On Tuesday, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak said Apple will get on board.
“Obviously, we’ll have to comply,” he said at a tech conference held by the Wall Street Journal. “We’ve no choice.”
Joswiak said Apple is contentious over the new directive, more specifically how it was introduced and the restrictions it places on the company’s engineers.
Apple had a 31% share of the smartphone market in Europe in 2021, according to Statista. It was one of the leaders in the market along with chief competitor Samsung.
Joswiak did not indicate whether Apple would adopt USB-C charging ports for its products worldwide, but analyst speculate this is likely, according to CNBC.
There is no clear timetable on when new iPhones will include the charging port, other than it will be by the time the mandate takes effect. The popular mobile device currently uses a Lightning charger, which is exclusive to Apple products.
The mandate is meant to make purchasing and charging devices more convenient for consumers by making devices universally compatible. It will also reduce electronic waste. In 2020, EU consumers purchased an estimated 420 million devices and owned an average of three chargers per device. Still 38% of consumers ran into issues charging their products.
The common charger directive applies to products like mobile devices, headphones, tablets, digital cameras, gaming controllers and other wireless peripherals. Laptops will eventually be required to use a USB-C port as well.
Source: UPI
