Apple’s latest iPhone will almost certainly feature a USB-C charge point when it is unveiled on 12 September.
The firm’s phones currently use its proprietary Lightning adaptor, unlike rivals, including Samsung.
A European Union law requires phone manufacturers to adopt a common charging connection by December 2024 to save consumers money and cut waste. According to the EU, it will save consumers “up to €250m [£213m] a year on unnecessary charger purchases” and cut 11,000 tonnes of waste per year.
Most new Apple products such as the latest iPads already use USB-C, but the firm had argued against the EU rule.
When it was introduced in September 2021, an Apple representative told BBC News: “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.”
Lightning to USB-C adaptors are already available from other electronics brands including Amazon, and all iPhones since the iPhone 8 which launched in 2017 have supported wireless charging.
As the current iPhone 14 now looks to be the last Apple device to exclusively use it, this could mark the beginning of the end of the Lightning cable – which retails on the Apple store for £19.
It’s unclear whether this will be a global change to the product, although the tech giant is less likely to make a different version of the handset for the European market alone.
(BBC News)
