After the European Union adopted a universal connector to decrease electronic waste and make customers’ lives easier, an Australian tech expert predicts Apple will cease selling iPhones fitted with the “Lightning” charger in Australia.
Apple will have to alter the charging connector on its smartphones in all 27 EU nations by 2024, according to the EU directive released in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Apple will have to begin using a USB-C charger, which is currently in use with Android smartphones, instead of its own proprietary Lightning connector technology.
Apple must now decide whether USB-C will be standard on all new iPhones or merely those sold in European Union nations.
Apple could just produce products that include USB-C connections to make things easier.
According to Michael Cowling, an IT specialist at Central Queensland University, USB-C will soon become the norm on all iPhones sold in Australia.
‘Lightning has reached the end of his life,’ he declared.
According to Dr. Cowling, the scenario is similar to that of 5G a few years ago, when different nations had different standards.
‘Initially, they had slightly different phones for different markets, but as soon as they could have universal 5G phone chargers, they did.’
‘It’ll be cheaper to do USB-C everywhere,’ Dr Cowling said, which could affect the resale value of iPhones, he warned.
According to the EU’s announcement: ‘This law is a part of a broader EU effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste, and make consumers’ lives easier.’
The EU’s rule covers not just mobile phones, but tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld video game consoles and portable speakers.
Laptops also are covered, but manufacturers will have extra time to comply.
Apple fans in affected countries will of course be able to still use their old Lightning chargers and devices that have Lightning ports.
But new devices sold in the affected countries from 2024 will have to be USB-C.
Ultimately, it should make life easier for consumers fed up with rummaging through a tangle of cables for the right one.
The EU introduced the rule because it wants a uniform charging cord for smartphones and other devices to reduce electronic waste, but Apple argues this would limit innovation and hurt consumers.
The union estimates that discarded or unused chargers account for 11,000 metric tons of e-waste in Europe every year.
‘Consumers will be provided with clear information on the charging characteristics of new devices, making it easier for them to see whether their existing chargers are compatible,’ the EU said in its statement on Tuesday.
‘Buyers will also be able to choose whether they want to purchase new electronic equipment with or without a charging device.’
The new USB-C rule, which will take effect by autumn 2024, was originally announced last September, but came more than a decade after the European Parliament first pushed for it.
The decision will be formally ratified by European Parliament and among EU member states after the summer before entering into effect.
The EU has also set rules for offering customers the option of buying new gadgets with or without a charger, which it thinks would save them 250 million euros (£212 million) every year.
The EU stated in a statement that “consumers will be supplied with clear information on the charging characteristics of new devices, making it easier for them to assess if their old chargers are compatible.”
‘In addition, buyers will have the option of purchasing new electronic equipment with or without a charging device.’
Apple has been one of the biggest holdouts, despite the fact that numerous electronics manufacturers have begun to use USB-C ports on their gadgets.
Apple, on the other hand, is rumored to be aiming to replace Lightning with USB-C, presumably in preparation of the EU’s new law.
Apple will eventually scrap the Lightning connector for USB-C in the 2023 iPhone, rumored to be named the iPhone 15, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
iPhones have had their own Lightning port and accompanying cords since 2012, replacing the earlier 30-pin connection.
The latest iPhone models, on the other hand, come with a lightning-to-USB-C adaptor cable that allows the iPhone to be linked to a USB-C socket if necessary.
Apple has been steadily phasing away iPhone accessories that were once included in the package with new iPhones.
The iPhone 11 comes with a set of Lightning-connected wired EarPods, a USB to Lightning cable, and a 5W USB power adapter when it was introduced in 2019.
However, the iPhone 12, which was introduced in 2020, and the iPhone 13, which was released last year, only came with a USB to Lightning cable in addition to the phone.
Apple stated that it made this choice to reduce the environmental effect of its devices.