Apple has been under intense regulatory pressure to embed a USB-C charging connector on the iPhone. Earlier this month, it was mandated by the European Parliament that USB-C connectors shall be adopted by smartphone makers. The mandate goes into effect starting 2024 and this reportedly has forced the iPhone maker to finally agree to use USB-C in the upcoming iPhone models.
The Senior Vice President (SVP) of marketing at Apple, Greg Joswiak confirmed that the company will comply with the ruling made by the European Union (EU). However, the executive did not provide any specific details as to whether the 2023 iPhone models will use USB-C. It was previously reported that Apple will completely ditch the charging port on the iPhone, in favor of only wireless charging.
Apple’s way of solving problems is different
Joswiak was speaking at Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live event, during which he commented on the ruling made by the European Union (EU). He added that a decade ago, the company was facing a similar issue a decade ago when the EU was forcing the adoption of micro USB connectors. Apple had a disagreement with the EU on the reduction of power adapters and Joswiak says the company approached the problem in a different fashion.
“…we got to a better place which is power adapters with detachable cables. All of them being USB-A or USB-C and you choose the cable which is appropriate for your device. That allowed over a billion people to have that (lightning) connector and to be able to use what they have already and not be disrupted and cause a bunch of e-waste,” said Joswiak.
Instead of adopting micro USB, Apple introduced power adapters with detachable cables. In 2012, the company had introduced the Lightning connector on the iPhone 5 which later became the standard charging connector for all of Apple’s handheld devices. If the past is any indication, Apple could dodge the EU’s ruling and instead go all in on wireless charging.
