In October, the European Parliament approved the rule that enforces USB-C as a common charging port for all consumer devices. Back then, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, had said that the company “will have to comply” indirectly confirming it will move to USB-C in the future.
Now, the European Union (EU) has officially signed its USB-C legislation into law and set an official deadline for mobile manufacturers to adopt USB-C as a single charging port for all electronic devices sold in the EU from December 2024.
According to a newly published directive, the new EU law will go into effect on December 27, 2022. This means mobile devices sold in the EU by manufacturers, including Apple will have to include a USB-C port by December 28, 2024.
The list of other consumer products also includes tablets, e-readers, earbuds, headphones and headsets, keyboards, mice, trackpads digital cameras, handheld video game consoles, portable speakers, and laptops (by April 28, 2026).
However, the new legislation does not apply to devices that have wireless charging solutions and remain unaffected.
“[Member States] shall apply those measures from 28 December 2024 for the categories or classes of radio equipment referred to in Part I, points 1.1 to 1.12 of Annex Ia, and from 28 April 2026 for the categories or classes of radio equipment referred to in Part I, point 1.13 of Annex Ia,” reads the official text.
While the deadline for executing changes to local laws for compliance is December 28, 2023, member states do not have to comply with the laws until December 28, 2024.
The goal of the new law is to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.
Impact Of The New Deadline On Apple
The new law is expected to hit Apple, the largest phone manufacturer, the most than its rivals, as it uses the company’s proprietary Lightning charger and not the USB Type-C charger.
Based on the Cupertino giant’s release schedule as per which it reveals new hardware in September every year, the first Apple devices with USB-C may not arrive until 2025.
This means that we may likely not see Apple devices with a USB-C port in next year’s iPhone 15 series, and probably iPhone 16 series as well.
