The next iPhone will be equipped with a USB-C port as per law enforced by European Union. This is the first time, Apple has confirmed that it will comply with the regulation. The EU’s new rule is to minimize e-waste by having a common charger across different products. Currently, the deadline for USB-C iPhone is 2024 set by European Union. By the end of this deadline, all phones and tablets must use the USB type-c port.
“obviously we’ll have to comply”
Greg Joswiak, A senior Apple executive said after the regulation.
USB-C iPhone, A dream becomes reality
The USB-C is the standard for connectivity in the latest tech products. Almost every modern smartphone is using a type c port for connectivity and data transfer. The only exception is the iPhone which is still equipped with the lightning connector. Apple introduced this connector back in 2012 and at that time it was considered the best connector for apple devices for the next decade. Now in 2022 things have changed and USB-C is offering much more reliable and faster data transfer speeds than a lightning port. The type-c iPhone is only a dream even in this modern era. Maybe the iPhone 15 will have a USB type-c charging port in near future.
History of connectivity in Apple products
Apple introduced the type-c ports in their laptops in 2015 starting with the MacBook 12 inch. After that, they replaced the USB c port with thunderbolt 3 in their pro laptops the MacBook pro 13 and 15 inches. When they finally introduced it in the iPad Pro in 2018, many had high hopes that the next iPhone will be an iPhone with a type-c port, but when the new iPhone was announced it still had the same old lightning connector that apple was using for the past 7 years.
Why USB-C iPhone?
The lightning port in the iPhone is not bad or anything like that. The reason for USB-C apple products is their diversity and re-usability. Imagine that you need only one cable and one charger for your every tech gadget. This will minimize the e-waste and you don’t have to buy a separate charger for every device. Moreover, USB-C is much faster than the lightning port. There are several cases where people have even tried to change the port in their iPhones, a USB-C iPhone was sold for around 8600$ on eBay a few years back.
Regulatory pressure on Apple by the EU
The regulatory authorities are forcing companies to use a standard connector for the products to avoid material waste and increase re-usability. This is the reason that you see USB-C everywhere from a smartphone to a gaming console. The Xbox, PS5, and all other tech products use type-c as the connection port. Apple is also under that pressure, along with that enforcement, the lighting port is also a decade old and this should convince apple to switch to the USB-C iPhone.
Will iPhone 15 have a type c port?
There is a high probability that the iPhone 15 or iPhone XV may launch with a type-c port. That would make it the first-ever USB-C iPhone. On top of iPhones, the AirPods lightning connector will also be replaced with the type c port. There were also a few rumors about a completely wireless iPhone, but those are buried after the failure of Airpower, A canceled wireless charger from apple.