Charging Port Standardization
Ever since 2012, Apple has required its users to buy proprietary charging cables for their iPhones. This small annoyance has upset many users, as just about every other phone, as well as Apple's new iPad line of products, uses the new USB standard, USB-C.
It seems that we are not the only ones annoyed with Apple, as the European Union has reportedly unveiled new legislation that would require a standardization that all new phones from 2024 onward would utilize USB-C. This standardization would require Apple to finally kill their proprietary lightining connector, that has plagued iPhones for years. While Apple could sell a special edition iPhone specifically for Europe, this idea is far above a multi-trillion-dollar company. Although, if this legislation passes, it might be just enough to get Apple to switch.
"Chargers power all our most essential electronic devices. With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary," said Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for trade in a press release. "We are putting an end to that. With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics — an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste."
Apple is not a fan of the proposed legislation and argues that switching to USB-C would effectively create more waste. "We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world," an Apple spokesperson told the press.
Apple's main concern is losing out on millions of dollars that they could otherwise be making by requiring users to purchase a proprietary connector. The fact that USB-C has been standardized across a broad range of devices seems to slip Apple's mind, as they argue that this unification would "stifile innovation". This is simply not the case, as the goal of this unification is to lessen the confusion of the iPhone versus Android port confusion.
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