Apple seems to be on its last attempt to keep the Lightning Port on its iPhones in the European region this week. The countries and lawmakers from the European Union will meet tomorrow to discuss the future of the charging port situation on Android and Apple smartphones. According to a report by Reuters, there is a strong possibility that the EU will make it mandatory to have a single standard port going forward. The decision is also expected to apply to other consumer devices like laptops.
The decision passed by the EU will have an enormous impact on Apple’s products in the region. Many products from the company have Type-C ports included like the iPad Pro models. The iPhone models and entry-level iPads are yet to transition to the Type-C standard.
While the EU is looking to standardise wired charging, it also wants to improve wireless charging standards. There are plans to ensure a similar transition for a common wireless charging standard by the year 2025.
Apple & Lightning Port
Apple has voiced its concerns that moving from the Lightning port could leave behind a lot of electronic waste. If Apple is forced to move to the Type-C interface for all of its products, all Lightning cables would be rendered unusable. It would also mean that the company could lose out on getting royalty fees from third party manufacturers who would make Lightning Port compatible accessories.
Apple & Type-C
Yes, Apple does have its own Type-C to Type-C cables that retail at Rs 1,900. The company also recently began removing charging adapters from its iPhone retail boxes. The company stated that many users already have existing chargers and that this was done to reduce the carbon footprint.
In reality, this has become an inconvenience for many to carry multiple chargers for their devices. Specifically, those who are new to the Apple ecosystem. Anyone getting an iPhone for the first time would be forced to buy third-party Type-C chargers. At the same time, it looks like the company knew that this was inevitable. Recent reports have hinted that the iPhone 15 may come with a Type-C port.
