Legislators in the European Union reached a consensus and passed a law stating that all electronic devices sold after the fall of 2024 must be equipped with the universal USB-C port for wired charging. While this may not be an issue for most tech companies, several experts believe this may be a blow to Apple, as most of the legislation was actually directed at Apple and its insistence on using its port. Patented lightning.
Apple has had a separate revenue stream from its Lightning port for a long time, hence the reluctance to switch to USB-C for some of its most popular devices, like the iPhone and AirPods. Apple provides USB-C charging on a number of its devices – select MacBooks and iPads come with USB-C charging. However, these are not the products that Apple sells in large numbers. It is the iPhones, AirPods and Apple watches that Apple sells the most, all devices that do not use the universal standard. By controlling how some of its best-selling products are charged, Apple has been able to create a healthy revenue stream from the most unlikely of places: chargers and charging cables. Even if a user buys a Lightning cable from a different manufacturer, the manufacturer has to pay Apple a license fee in order to use the Lightning port. No matter how you look at it, you end up paying Apple one way or another when you buy a new charger for your iPhone, AirPods, or Apple Watch. The EU hopes that thanks to its new legislation, they have made a common charger for Europe, and therefore for the world, a reality. That, unfortunately, is simply not true. there is not only different standards within the same USB-C, but several smartphone manufacturers are also moving away from wired charging altogether. And guess which tech company is at the forefront of that? Apple hasn’t hesitated to get rid of all the ports on the personal devices they offer. Apple has been trying to get rid of its Lightning port and replace it with a wireless charger for a long time. Even though it was late for the car that wireless charging has become, the tech company has embraced technology much more efficiently than most of its Android-based counterparts. There have also been various rumors that the iPhone 15 will probably ditch the Lightning port and just rely on wireless charging. The only thing the EU’s 2024 deadline has managed to do is give Apple a deadline to ditch the Lightning cable altogether. Having said that, there is a chance, albeit a very small one, that Apple will switch to the USB-C standard. They did it for some of the iPads as well as some Macs. Via: FirstPost
