Apple confirms iPhone will get USB-C charging after EU mandate
USB-C charging ports will be mandated by the end of 2024
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Apple has confirmed that the iPhone will support USB-C charging following a European Union mandate.
In a Tuesday interview at The Wall Street Journal's annual Tech Live conference, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing, said the tech giant had been in a "little bit of a disagreement" over the issue.
"Governments, you know, get to do what they're going to do. And, obviously, we'll have to comply," he said. "We have no choice – as we do around the world – to comply to local laws. But, you know, we think the approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive."
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Joswiak did not answer whether the company would include the connector on phones outside the EU.
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He noted that power adapters with detachable cables made it easy for people to use what they had already and "not have to be disrupted."
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An Apple Lightning port charging cable is seen with an iPhone in this illustration photo, in Warsaw, Poland on Oct. 5, 2022. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital's request for comment from Apple, including asking when the change would be made, was not immediately returned.
The law – which was given final approval earlier in the week – says all mobile phones, tablets, headphones, gaming consoles and cameras sold in member countries will have to be equipped with a USB-C charging port by the end of 2024.
The issue of chargers has preoccupied EU institutions for more than a decade. Shown are, from left, USB-C, an Apple Lightning and a Micro-USB cable. (Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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That mandate will extend to laptops by spring 2026 and the European Parliament said the measure is part of a broader effort to reduce e-waste.
The commission said EU consumers bought about 420 million electronic devices in 2020 and own three chargers, on average, to charge the devices. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to the European Commission, the directive also allows consumers to choose whether to purchase a new device with or without a charger.
Four years after the directive is enforced, the commission said it would assess whether an unbundling of sales should be mandatory.
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In a release, the commission said EU consumers bought approximately 420 million electronic devices in 2020 and own three chargers, on average, to charge the devices – with 38% reporting problems charging because no compatible charger was available.