European Union lawmakers passed a new mandate earlier this month that will require tech companies to include a USB-C port in upcoming electronic devices. And Apple has now confirmed it will abide by the new policy by replacing the iPhone’s Lightning port to support USB-C charging cables and power adapters.
After a decade-long campaign to standardize chargers used on a wide range of electronics in the region, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the common charger law. The policy, expected to be fully implemented in 2024, states all portable electronic devices that use a wired cable for charging are required to have a USB-C port.
Many believed this to be the end of iPhones with the Lightning port, and Apple confirmed this to be the case. In an appearance at the Wall Street Journal Tech Live on Wednesday, Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak confirmed the EU law signals the launch of an iPhone with a USB-C port.
Joswiak provided a lengthy response when asked what Apple thinks about the recently passed law. But, ultimately, he said the company will follow the new rules.
“Obviously, we’ll have to comply,” Joswiak said. “We have no choice as we do around the world to comply to local laws.”
He also recognized that Apple has had its contentions with earlier proposals to standardize chargers for electronic devices. Joswiak recalled that the EU previously wanted to make micro USB the common charging port over a decade ago. “If we have standardized a micro USB, that chart doesn’t exist,” Joswiak said and then pointed at a side-by-side illustration of Lightning and USB-C cables.
He clarified that Apple understands the EU's goal of minimizing e-waste in pushing for a common charger in the region. It appears, however, that Apple does not completely agree with how the standardization of USB-C chargers was achieved.
He also seemingly implied that detachable cables would have been enough to solve the issue of consumers accumulating too many charging cables and bricks over time. “We think the approach would’ve been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive,” Joswiak added.
Photo by Thai Nguyen on Unsplash


SpaceX Eyes $60B Cursor Deal to Boost AI Power Ahead of IPO
Judge Dismisses Elon Musk’s Fraud Claims Against OpenAI, Trial to Proceed on Remaining Allegations
$16B Michigan Data Center Project Boosts U.S. AI Infrastructure Expansion
Nvidia Pushes 800V Data Center Power Systems to Boost Efficiency and Cut Costs
Apple Stock Dips as Tim Cook Steps Down, John Ternus Named Next CEO
LG Innotek Stock Hits Record High on $68M Automotive Wi-Fi 7 Deal
Chinese Robotics Stocks React as Humanoid Robot Marathon Sparks Competition Concerns
Tesla Earnings Beat Expectations as EV Growth Holds Amid Robotics and AI Shift
Microsoft Commits $18 Billion to Expand AI and Cloud Infrastructure in Australia
Meta Expands AI Training With Employee Activity Tracking Tools
PLS Reports Record Lithium Output as EV Demand Fuels Market Growth
Hyundai Plans 20 New Models in China to Boost EV Strategy and Market Share
Florida Investigates OpenAI and ChatGPT Over Alleged Role in FSU Shooting
Elon Musk Faces French Probe Over X and Grok Amid Rising U.S.-EU Tensions
DeepSeek Launches V4 AI Models with Enhanced Reasoning and 1M Token Context Window
European Car Sales Surge in March as EV and Hybrid Demand Accelerates
Jeff Bezos Eyes $10 Billion Funding Round for AI Venture Project Prometheus 



