Yesterday during a Wall Street Journal Tech Live Event, Apple finally addressed the chatter around the EU’s new law that requires device manufacturers to use USB-C as the standard charging interface for phones, tablets, laptops, and more. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s worldwide marketing chief said during the event, “…we’ve no choice,” when talking about their decision to change from Lighting to USB-C.
According to Forbes, Joswiak also made a claim that the USB-C standard wouldn’t even exist if Apple hadn’t previously refused to fall in line with the notoriously finicky Micro USB connector. He also said that cable compatibility issues have been resolved by modern charging solutions that allow consumers to switch out cables based on what device they need to charge.
Despite Apple’s resistance to change from Lightning to USB-C cables, it looks like the first iPhone with this port will need to be put in circulation by 2024 at the latest.
The California-based tech company has been using the USB-C connector in its laptops since 2015 and in iPads since 2018. Also worth noting is the fact that this will be the first time an iPhone will not have a proprietary charger. The Lightning cables used in old iPhones, iPads, and iPods will officially become obsolete when the first new iPhone launches with a USB-C port.
It’ll be interesting to see how this announcement ends up impacting the aftermarket price or the general availability of the last iPhone to feature a Lightning port. Apple fans love their tech and it’s not a stretch to think that some might be willing to shell out a decent amount of money to have the last iPhone with the Lightning port.
