‘We’ve No Choice’: Apple Says iPhones Will Switch Over To USB-C Chargers With New EU Law

Image credit: Manahil Manstashah on Unsplash

The move comes after EU lawmakers voted to enforce a common charging standard for all portable devices

Description
Under the new rules, all smartphones, tablets, headphones, cameras, gaming consoles, wireless mouse and keyboards will be required to have a USB Type-C charging port by the end of 2024. All laptops sold in the bloc will also need to comply with this rule by the spring of 2026.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s worldwide marketing chief said Apple will “obviously…have to comply” with the EU ruling adding “we’ve no choice.” Joswiak added that the company is open to governments telling them what they want to accomplish but Apple’s engineers should be left to come up with a solution to accomplish that, instead being mandated to follow one.

[Oct 26 2022]

Relevance
EU lawmakers argue this move will help cut down on e-waste and ensure people only have to carry a single charger for all their devices, however can this move also be seen as having too strong an influence and ultimately limiting freedoms around product innovation?