While many tech companies has gotten on board with USB-C as a standard for power and data transfers, Apple has been the major holdout. Why use a connector you can get inexpensively anywhere when you can pay more for Apple’s proprietary cable? Well, that all may be coming to an end, at least in Europe.
According to PC Mag, the EU’s regulations regarding standardization have beaten Apple into submission. In order to continue to sell their products in Europe, Apple must ensure that the iPhone 16 (and maybe the 15) must with a USB-C port as standard. The change must be implemented before the end of 2024, but will the change finally be put in place in the rest of the markets?
Apple didn’t go out without sass, though. Apple’s Senior VP of Marketing, Greg Joswiak, said that moving towards USB-C as a standard for all electronics would cause “more electronic waste.” How? I don’t know. I have far fewer USB-C cables than frayed OEM Apple Lightning cables, that’s for sure.
Apple has always been a holdout when it comes to matching customer-friendly standards found in the competition. Remember, for the longest time, the iPhone and the media you purchased for it was locked to Apple software. So it was also odd to see major news outlets running defense for Apple in the past, saying that no other company could make a less-expensive lightning cable because of the technology found in the connector itself. Yes, really. I think it was a CNN article.
The forced standardization could mean Apple will cut back on the small things you expect to be included in a new iPhone. Expect the iPhone 16 to be a bare-bones affair. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple ditches the boxes altogether and ship customers the phones in little biodegradable plastic baggies.
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