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 EU-deadline voor USB-C- connector infographic
Graphic shows USB-C and Lightning cables with data transfer speeds.
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EU-deadline voor overstap op USB-C-connector

By Duncan Mil

December 14, 2022 - The European Union’s deadline for device manufacturers to switch to USB-C for their data and charging ports means that Apple will have to abandon its iPhone Lightning connector.

All iPhones sold in the EU must be able to charge with USB-C cables by December 28, 2024. The law has been written in the EU’s Official Journal and applies to phones, tablets, headphones, and handheld game consoles.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, told the Wall Street Journal that the tech giant would “obviously” comply with the law.

“The approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive,” said Joswiak.

USB-C cables can charge all Android smartphones, most modern laptops and tablets, and even Apple’s iPad Pro.

Apple’s proprietary Lightning cable is a source of profit for the tech giant, especially after it stopped including chargers in iPhone boxes. Following the switch to USB-C, iPhone users will have no incentive to buy exclusively from Apple.

However, the next highly anticipated launch of Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro will likely switch to Thunderbolt 4, which is fully compatible with USB-C and offers data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, which is about twice as fast as the 20Gbps maximum throughput of the fastest USB-C ports.

The smartphone will still retain MagSafe and wireless charging, given that Apple probably hopes to migrate to a portless iPhone soon.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 14/12/2022; STORY: Graphic News
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