EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

[HACO]

EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

The European Parliament today voted overwhelmingly in favor of enforcing USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of consumer electronic...

www.macrumors.com

EU has finally passed this law.

While the press release itself is misleading, as per the actual directive, this applies to new devices that go on sale after the end of 2024, i.e. any product released before then can continue to be sold until discontinued. The press release makes it seem like this applies retroactively to all existing stock (which caused confusion on reddit/forums). If there are legal challenges, this date can be pushed further into the future.

This means iPhone 15 and 16 series (to be released in 2023 and 2024) can stay on Lightning, but iPhone 17 series will have to be USB-C (if they have a port).

 

[HACO]

I'm sure if Apple don't currently have plans to go port-less or USB-C prior to this date they will challenge and appeal the law and it'll go through the usual legal struggle of being years late. Hopefully not though.

They will likely challenge it anyway. And Apple won't be the only one. This directive is broad and doesn't have an end date. My expectation is that it would go back and get amended, hopefully it won't get toned down a lot.

 

[HACO]

What a stupid law, technology advances and the usb-c maybe not even be the “standard” by then. Hope apple stick with lightening right up to the end then go portless.

Then others will follow suit.

It's going to be an interesting situation when USB-IF eventually releases a successor to USB-C and EU regulations force companies to not use it (until EU updates the regulations, which often take years).

 

[HACO]

Going portless rather than adapting to USB-C would be a serious case of cutting off nose to spite face (except its the end users nose in this case) unless there is some more efficient and longer range wireless charging tech waiting in the wings. Current wireless charging is too slow and generates too much heat.
Pretty pathetic that this ruling doesnt kick in next year but thats the EU for you i guess…

I expect they will go for a Mac-like MagSafe charging system (not the iPhone MagSafe which is a completely different tech) that connects to the side. Although the lines would be blurry as to whether that's a port or not.