Apple Inc. has said it will comply with the new European Union (EU) law mandating that all cell phones have a common charging standard.
This new charging standard means all future iPhone products will be compatible with a USB-C connection. Apple currently uses its own lightning charger for iPhones and other related products, such as air pods.
Phones released in 2023 will be equipped with USB-C charging ports, and Apple will likely introduce the new standard globally, according to a company’s senior marketing executives.
“Obviously, we’ll have to comply,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, during The Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference on Tuesday.
Joswiak expressed that Apple and the EU disagreed concerning the new standard, saying, “We think the approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive.”
This new law in the EU requires that a USB-C port be mandatory for a range of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, digital cameras, video game consoles, and headphones, according to a press release by the Council of the EU. All laptops would be included 40 months after the adoption of the directive.
“We all have at least three mobile phone chargers at home. Looking for the right charger, either at home or work, can be quite annoying,” said Jozef Síkela, minister for industry and trade in the EU, via press release.
“On top of this, these chargers amount to 11 tons of e-waste every year,” he continued. “Having a charger that fits multiple devices will save money and time and also helps us reduce electronic waste,”
On Monday, October 24, EU state ministers gave the final approval of the common charging law, meaning that devices must be compatible with USB-C charging by 2024.