The legislation aims to reduce e-waste and eliminate “cable clutter,” said Margrethe Vestager, vice president of the European Commission. According to the law, according to a statement, “mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, headphones, digital cameras, headphones and earphones, portable video game consoles and portable speakers that are recharged via a wired cable must be equipped with a type “Port C, regardless of how it is manufactured.”
The next rules will apply to new small and medium-sized electronics sold in the EU.
Chargers that support fast charging will also need to adopt the same charging speeds. The measure does not affect wireless charging technologies, and consumers should be able to purchase a device without an included charger if they wish.
The new rule will mean major changes for Apple users (AAPL). Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But during the legislative process, Apple told EU officials that the proposed rule would make up to a billion devices and accessories using the company’s proprietary Lightning connector obsolete, according to a report by the EU Parliament.
A 2021 study cited in the same report found that iPhones with the Lightning connector accounted for 18% of new mobile phone sales in 2019, with 44% using USB-C and 38% using the USB Micro-C connector. B older.
The writing has been on the wall for the end of Apple’s Lightning connector for a long time. Apple already uses the USB-C standard on some Macs and iPads, and is said to be testing iPhone models that exchange the Lightning port. But Tuesday’s announcement could speed up Apple’s switch to USB-C and potentially lead to the company dropping Lightning around the world for good.
Efforts to demand a single standard for cargo in Europe go back more than a decade. At one point, officials had secured industry support for the Micro-B USB standard, but a voluntary agreement between major manufacturers to that effect expired in 2014 and was not replaced. The next law to require USB-C, however, is one of the first of its kind.
This Tuesday’s announcement came after trilateral negotiations between the European Commission, Parliament and the Council. The collection measure has yet to receive final approval before it enters into force, but the process is largely considered a formality.