Apple confirms it will create a USB-C iPhone, but the Lightning port may not completely disappear
As expected, Apple has confirmed the iPhone will adopt a USB-C charging port in the future. We knew that would be the case after theEuropean Union voted to enforcea common charging standard on gadgets such as smartphones by the end of 2024. Now, Apple has confirmed for the first time that it will be adopting the technology.
During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak spoke about the technology. Joswiak said, “Obviously, we’ll have to comply; we have no choice.” Appletold Reuters in 2021that it believes the move will mean more e-waste thanks to the switch away from Lightning cables. It also said that the move “stifles innovation rather than encouraging it.”
When talking about a timeline of which iPhone will be the first to see the switchover, Joswiak said, “The Europeans are the ones dictating timing for European customers.” The European law says that Apple will have to switch by Autumn 2024, likely giving Apple another generation of iPhone devices before it makes the switch. It may be that 2024’s iPhone model makes the switch, or it may be saved for 2025.
Joswiak’s phrasing there is interesting about European customers, though. Could it be that Apple will only include the USB-C port on the phone sold in the region and keep the Lightning adapter for other markets, such as the United States? It would be a complicated operation, but Apple may eventually choose that option rather than include USB-C on all smartphones. We may be reading into Joswiak’s phrasing a little too much there, but it certainly sounds like the company may choose this route.
Some have speculated that the iPhone may switch to a portless design before taking on USB-C. Joswiak’s comments are explicit that Apple isn’t happy about this move. It sounds like the brand will continue publicly commenting on it and its distaste for the European Union’s moves in the area. Expect to see an iPhone with a USB-C port in the next two years, but your location may dictate whether you’re able to buy it.
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