Apple made a clear statement for the first time after the European Union’s USB-C requirement. “Of course, we’re going to have to comply,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in a Wall Street Journal video interview.
Joswiak did not say exactly when this transition will occur, as the law does not come into effect until 2024. In other words, it seems possible that the iPhone 15 will still be available for sale with Lightning. But Apple may not wait to make the inevitable switch and we may see the iPhone 15 use USB-C as rumored.
At this point, confusing explanations came. There are still some uncertainties, as Joswiak also declined to comment on whether this change would apply globally or only in Europe. Concealing the issue also raises Apple’s claim that it will only use USB-C in EU countries. But it is clear that such an option would not be very good in terms of production costs.
As it is clear from the interview, the company is not in favor of making this change. Joswiak noted that despite switching to USB-C for iPads and Macs, moving iPhones to USB-C would create a lot of e-waste because billions of Lightning cables worldwide can no longer be used with future products. He says the move to USB-C won’t be the best option for most of his customers.
He also pointed out that governments have tried to standardize micro-USB connections in the past as well, and that if that were standardized, there probably wouldn’t be Lightning cables or USB-C connections, both of which are superior to micro-USB.
While we can say that these are all reasonable arguments, with Apple’s move to USB-C in other products, the growing popularity of wireless charging, and rumors of a no-cable iPhone, Lightning’s days seem likely to be numbered regardless of EU interference.
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