Apple is set to give new iPhone 15 a standard USB-C power connector after bowing down to
- EU law has forced technology firms to use USB-C cables by December next year
Apple is expected to kill off hundreds of millions of charging cables this week by giving its new iPhone 15 a standard power connector.
For years Apple has resisted calls to ditch its ‘Lightning’ charging port for the more prevalent USB-C connector, defiantly insisting buyers use a different charger from every other smartphone.
But the EU has passed a law to force all consumer technology firms to use USB-C chargers by December next year.
Brussels says different chargers create 11,000 tons of waste a year. At one point, there were 33 types of chargers for different brands of smartphone.
Now leaked reports say the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro being unveiled by Apple on Tuesday will have a USB-C port worldwide, not just in Europe.
Apple is expected to give its new iPhone 15 a standard USB-C power connector, after years of using a specific cable
EU law means that technology firms will have to use USB-C port in their products by December next year
Apple has not denied the reports. For those who use only Apple products, the change means cables need replacing – an issue Apple used to lobby against the EU law, saying it would increase waste in the short term.
Apple has already introduced USB-C for iPads and laptops, but dragged its heels over the iPhone.
Apple is also under pressure in China, which has expanded its ban on iPhones to local government workers and state-owned companies, after forbidding central government workers from bringing the mobiles to work.
The ban is a sign of Beijing limiting its reliance on US technology. Yet 90 per cent of Apple products are made in China. Apple is now seeking to speed up moves towards production elsewhere, including in Vietnam and India.