Apple and other cell phone producers will be expected to help USB-C as a feature of a single charging standard for cell phones across the European Union as soon as the fall of 2024 under a new law declared Tuesday by EU authorities.
The legislation is pointed toward decreasing e-waste and eliminating “cable clutter,” said Margrethe Vestager, European Commission Vice President. Under the legislation, as per a release, “mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers that are rechargeable via a wired cable will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port, regardless of their manufacture.”
The approaching standards will apply to new small and medium-sized electronics sold in the EU.
Chargers that help fast charging will likewise be expected to adopt the equivalent charging speeds. The action doesn’t influence wireless charging technologies, and customers would need to have the option to purchase a gadget without a packaged charger in the event that they decide.
The new rule stands to bring significant changes for Apple (AAPL) clients. Apple didn’t promptly respond to a request for comment. However, during the legislative interaction, Apple told EU authorities that the proposed rule would deliver outdated upwards of a billion gadgets and accessories that use the organization’s proprietary Lightning connector, as per an EU Parliament report.
A recent report refered to in a similar report found that iPhones with the Lightning connector represented 18% of new cell phone sales in 2019, with 44% using USB-C and 38% using the older USB Micro-B connector.
The issue at hand has been obvious to everyone for the finish of Apple’s Lightning connector for some time. Apple already involves the USB-C norm in certain Macs and iPads and is purportedly testing iPhone models that trade out the Lightning port. Yet, Tuesday’s declaration could speed up Apple’s shift to USB-C and possibly lead to the organization dropping Lightning around the world for good.
Efforts to mandate a single norm for charging in Europe date back over a decade. Officials at one point had secured industry support for the USB Micro-B standard, yet a deliberate understanding among significant producers with that impact lapsed in 2014 and was not supplanted. The coming law to require USB-C, by contrast, is among the first of its sort.
Tuesday’s declaration followed three-dimensional negotiations by the European Commission, Parliament and Council. The charging measure should in any case get last approval before going into effect, yet the process is to a great extent thought to be a formality.
