No more Lightning? Is the EU forcing Apple to switch to USB-C?
The EU is said to pass a law in September that requires all smartphones to have the same charging port. This puts pressure on Apple.
The iPhone is the last bastion of the Lightning connector, Apple's own connector. This might soon change. The news portal Yahoo Finance reports that legislation is expected to be negotiated by the European Commission in September 2021 that requires smartphone manufacturers to adopt a common charging port.
The law would affect the 27 member states of the EU. That’s about 445 million people. From Apple's perspective, that's 445 million potential customers.
The consequence of a vote
The law isn’t the first push to get rid of the Lightning connector. Last year, the EU voted for universal charging port for smartphones by a large majority. The reasons given by those who voted were environmental friendliness and improved user comfort
The law, which insiders say will be submitted to the EU in September, is intended to reflect this vote.
iPhone 13 with Lightning anyway
However, it will be several months, if not years, before the law becomes effective. Therefore, it can be assumed that the upcoming iPhone 13 will still be equipped with a Lightning adapter. The iPhone is the last Apple product to use the Lightning adapter. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPhone will follow Apple's usual release calendar and will therefore be unveiled and sold in September.
We don’t yet know how Apple will react to the law, should it be adopted and implemented by the EU. If it is, Apple faces a big decision: will the company stand firm and keep the Lightning connector, but miss out on 445 million potential customers and an entire economic area? Or will Apple switch to USB-C?
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