Apple has been capitalizing on its trusty Lightning Port for years now. Everything from the charging cables to the adapters has made the business a lot of money and it’s understandable why the company refuses to replace Lightning even though it’s pretty slow and backdated now. However, it seems like the EU is successfully forcing Apple to switch from Lightning to USB Type-C for all of their products in a couple of years.
Mac Accessories and AirPods May Switch To USB Type-C
According to Mark Gurman, Apple may have to switch to USB Type-C for all new AirPods and Mac Accessories by 2024. This is the result of a new law passed by the EU that requires manufacturers of devices like Phones, Tablets, Headphones & Headsets, Keyboards, Mouse, Cameras, E-readers, Mobile Navigation Systems, Portable Game Consoles, and Speakers to switch to USB Type-C by the end of 2024, for new products, which will then extend to laptops in the spring of 2026.
Apple has already switched to USB Type-C for its iPad Pros in 2018 later expanding to the iPad Air and iPad Mini. The regular iPad still uses lighting which should be going away with its next iteration, as early as, the end of this year. Even the iPhones will probably say adios to its slow yet trusted buddy, starting with the iPhone 15 which should get announced by September of 2023.
Also, I really hope that when Apple finally changes the ports on their accessories like the Magic Trackpad, Magic Keyboard, etc., they do change the position of the bottom charging port on the Magic Mouse.
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The Switch to USB-C Might Be Shortlived
When the EU first revealed that it wanted manufacturers to switch to USB Type-C, Apple initially tried to make a stand against this. In a statement from last year, the company said,
“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.”
But, because of this newly-passed law, the tech giant will probably have to comply anyway. However, the switch to USB Type-C might just be shortlived as Apple is expected to remove the charging ports on their devices completely in the upcoming years.
I expect the accessories to adapt to wireless charging as their only charging method first, and later, when the company has a good enough (fast and reliable) wireless charging system in place for its Smartphones and Tablets, they may remove the charging ports on those devices as well.
Source: Bloomberg
