The iPhone will support USB-C charging in the European Union to comply with a new ruling that mandates electronic devices that have a common charging standard, an Apple executive said Tuesday night.
“Obviously we will have to comply,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said at the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, in the first remarks from a company official since the ruling came out Monday.
“We have no choice, like we do around the world, to comply with local laws, but we think the approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive,” he said
Joswiak made the remarks on stage with Stern and Apple software VP Craig Federighi at WSJ’s LiveTech conference.
However, he declined to say when Apple would introduce an iPhone with USB-C.
“Well, again, the Europeans are dictating the timing for European customers,” he said.
Apple products which already contain usb type c support :
While Apple’s MacBooks and iPads now all have USB-C connectors, the iPhone retained Apple’s Lightning connector. Indeed, it’s one of the only smartphones on the market that doesn’t already have a USB-C port.
Why is Apple moving to USB-C?
Earlier this month, the European Parliament approved a law requiring a uniform charging cord for all smartphones and mobile devices such as laptops or wireless headphones.
The rules would require all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in EU countries to feature a USB-C charging port by 2024, while laptops would have until 2026.
Why is the EU requiring this?
The EU said the new law will save consumers from having to spend money on various charging cords to keep their mobile devices powered. Officials also said the requirements will help curb electronic waste from obsolete chargers and prevent consumers from being locked into a specific manufacturer because of a proprietary charging standard.