With all its influence, authority and financial power, Apple leaves a complete feeling of dependence. It seems that not a month goes by without the authorities of another country putting forward some kind of demand to it. Some want her to continue stocking iPhones with headphones and chargers, others want her to remove app developer fees, still others want to allow alternatives to the App Store, and still others want her to abandoned Lightning in favor of USB-C. But, if the first three claims can still be substantiated, at the very least, the last one sounds very strange. However, even here the companies did not leave a chance to show independence and refuse.
EU legislators have reached an agreement on the adoption of an act obliging all manufacturers to produce smartphones exclusively with a USB-C connector. This requirement applies to everyone, including Apple. Therefore, the company will have to opt out of Lightning and replace it with a universal standard.
iPhone with USB-C
The purpose of this law is to make life easier for consumers by enabling them to charge all your appliances with the same charger. Therefore, the act will apply not only to smartphones, but also to other gadgets: tablets, readers, cameras, laptops, etc.
Despite the approval of the bill, it will not enter into force immediately, but only by the fall of 2024. Until then, manufacturers will be officially allowed to equip their smartphones any charging port. But even after the adoption of the law, some kind of grace period will certainly operate.
Why it is needed, I think, is clear and so. Smartphone development is a complex and lengthy process. It is highly likely that iPhone, which Apple releases each fall, are created over several years prior. Therefore, it can be very difficult to replace even such a seemingly insignificant component as a charging connector at the final design stage.
The European Union has already rushed to make a statement that the new law is not directed against Apple:
iPhone without charging port
Perhaps this is true. But anyway, on Apple new law will have the most impact, because all of her smartphones today are equipped with a connector Lightning. And the transition to the new standard will make old iPhones incompatible with accessories for new ones and vice versa, which consumers may not like.
However, Apple will still have two possible options:
- The first is to agree with the requirements of the European Union and replace Lightning with USB-C. According to rumors, the company was already going to do it in the iPhone 15, but here it is given a head start in one more year.
- The second is to avoid any connectors on the cases of their iPhonesespecially since, apparently, the company has been going to this for at least a couple of years.
Although the rejection of any connectors looks like a pretty desperate move, the company has what it takes to do it:
- magnetic charger MagSafe Attaches to the back of your iPhone and charges it faster than any other wireless charger
- iPhone charging speed by wire, it almost does not exceed the charging speed from MagSafe, and by 2023 or 2024 the company may even overclock it;
- iOS already has a built-in firmware recovery mechanism without connecting to a computer, albeit inactive for now.
In fact, nothing is stopping Apple now opt out of Lightning and circle the EU around your finger. Formally, the company will not violate the requirements of European law, because it obliges manufacturers to use USB-C only for wired charging. And, if there are no connectors on the device case at all, no one will force Apple and other brands to make holes in them.
