EU Reaches Agreement to Force iPhone and AirPods to Adopt USB-C by Fall 2024

[Razorpit]

As others already commented here, and in other online boards about the matter, many other tech companies have gone with USB-C while Apple refused to do until relatively recently for the Macs and iPads but refused to do so with the iPhones. Apple didn't want to give up control and the money that MFI Lightning accessories bring in.
If Apple actually adopted USB-C for all its products, then no govt may have intruded!
Too many Apple fanboys/girls and anti govt people just love to blame everyone else but Apple who can do No wrong in their eyes.

Let’s not change facts. If I remember correctly Apple was one of, if not the first to offer USB-C on any laptop. They were so far ahead of the game that everyone spent the next 3 years crying about the dongles until everyone else finally caught up.

Now, did they drop the ball by not increasing the transfer speeds of lightning? Absolutely and this is what put them in the position they are in. Lightning is a far better physical connector.

 

[jlc1978]

So no way of circumventing the ruling by doing away with the charging port altogether, I suppose.

IIRC, the directive only applies to phones with ports, wireless is exempt. We may not see USB-C charging ports on iPhones till 20225 depending on whaat Apple ahs in teh works and release dates; though I suspect they will show up sooner.

Nothing in the directive, however, prevent Apple from making an Apple specific USB-C implementation beyond PD, whcih could still mean Apple specific cables for 100% functionality across charging and data transfer.

 

[jlc1978]

I don't suppose the EU went as far as making the USB-C cable manufacturers label their cables so consumers can look at a USB-C cable and know whether it is charge-only or charge+data? And if the latter, is it USB 2.0 or USB 3.0/3.1 speeds, and if so, 5Gbps or 10Gbps? Thunderbolt 3 or 4? How many watts can the cable handle - 20W? 65W? 100W? And for charging phones, does the cable do QC or PD or both?

USB-C is a very capable cable, but for gods sake, label the cable so we know what it can do.

God points. USB-C is really a broad standard, so beyound say 100WPD there is no assurance of capability. If you want PD-3 and 240 W, (IIRC what is specifies), you could require a cable that uses handshaking, which the USB-C Spec includes, to allow charging at that speed. Data is a whole different issue as well.

While I like the idea of all USB-C devices, the EU directive does not mean one cable will rule them all.

Ideally Apple will come out with a USB to Lightning adapter to allow using our Lightening devices on USB-C iPhones.

 

[jlc1978]

How do you know? Where is your economic/market research to justify this rather bold statement?

Why are people so afraid of CHOICE and letting people CHOOSE what they want and the company reacts based on that CHOICE? Why are people so anti-CHOICE?

While choice is good, it makes no economic sense for Apple to offer 2 ports. It only raises the unit costs and complicates planning and the supply chain. At this point, Lightening is a dead port walking.

 

[I7guy]

[...]

At least the EU has stated that it's willing to adopt newer tech changes as it occurs which defeats the complaining of many commenters in this sub and other online comment board that the EU will languish and not do anything if tech standards change.

Well no. Having this level of micro-management for standards on consumer oriented mass produced devices will proceed at a snails pace...hence the comments about an EU being a technological desert.

 

[I7guy]

Wild guess here, but I'd bet that Apple is over the moon about not having to include chargers in the box of many of their devices, adding millions or billions to their bottom line (since they aren't lowering device prices). I highly doubt Apple is interested in inventing some proprietary charging method again. They've learned their lesson from Lightning.

They didn't raise device prices either. So it's not as if there is a windfall.

 

[svish]

Will be good to finally see USB C on iPhones.

 

[jlc1978]

Well no. Having this level of micro-management for standards on consumer oriented mass produced devices will proceed at a snails pace...hence the comments about an EU being a technological desert.

Look at the directive there is a lot of wiggle room to innovate while still complying with the bare minimum charging required by the spec. A MagSafe USB-C implementation would be nice.

I suspect Apple has been planning to standardize on USB-C across the line, so this will have minimal impact; they would not have to comply anyway with iPhones until teh 3rd revision from the current.

 

[polyphenol]

When will keyboards and mice get USB-C?

 

[sfwalter]

Does this means that hardware manufactures need to wait for the European union to approved USB-D in the future?

 

[ian87w]

As others already commented here, and in other online boards about the matter, many other tech companies have gone with USB-C while Apple refused to do until relatively recently for the Macs and iPads but refused to do so with the iPhones. Apple didn't want to give up control and the money that MFI Lightning accessories bring in.
If Apple actually adopted USB-C for all its products, then no govt may have intruded!
Too many Apple fanboys/girls and anti govt people just love to blame everyone else but Apple who can do No wrong in their eyes.

To give Apple credit, when Apple adopted USB-C, it’s at least USB3 speed USB-C with USB-PD, so there’s no confusion about the actual protocol running in the port.

Other companies, when they use USB-C, it’s only for the physical connector. For example, only select flagship Android phones actually have USB-C with USB3 speed. The rest are actually USB2. Even Xiaomi flagships, Xiaomi 12, is USB2. Add on the various proprietary fast charging that every Chinese OEMs developed for themselves. It’s really confusing.

At least with Apple, when you see a USB-C, it’s USB3 speed and supports USB-PD.

 

[ian87w]

When will keyboards and mice get USB-C?

For wired keyboard and mouse, Probably never as they don’t need charging.

For wireless ones, if they’re rechargeable, then I’d assume yes.

 

[ftaok]

Lightning is not mechanically superior. Power is exposed. At 5V and less than 3 amps this isn’t much of an issue. It does get dicey when you move to the 20V and 5 Amps supported by USB-C protocols like USB4 and Thunderbolt. Shielding for high data rates is also more cleanly implemented when a USB-C connector is used.

Apple sells USB-C to Lightning cables that can support fast charging on supported devices (iPhone 8 and newer). You can plug the USB-C end into chargers up to 96W and more. It doesn't seem like the exposed power pins are an issue with the Lightning connector.

 

[Analog Kid]

But just because we have MagSafe doesn't preclude standardising charging across the board.

Yes, it kind of does.

My point though is the double standard people show when they say “I don’t see a problem with outlawing your preferred connector as long as they don’t outlaw mine.”

The legislation has to start somewhere.

No. It doesn’t.

Will the EU encourage Apple to share the standard - just as Apple is doing with hotel room keys in wallet - or will Apple dig in their heels and say that this is a competitive advantage and propriety to them?

You mean, will the EU force Apple to choose between surrendering their intellectual property to the state and abandoning it entirely?

 

[lartola]

That may be true and as I said I am for USB-C. That still doesn’t sound like hurt which requires government regulation.

Well is there any other way to press for a change from a company that’s been hurting its customers for a decade and won’t budge?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Surprised that none of the comment call for Pull out of the EU.

I don’t think they have to. This is more the EU saying what they will allow. There’s no pull out to be done if the EU is pushing out certain products.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

IIRC, the directive only applies to phones with ports, wireless is exempt. We may not see USB-C charging ports on iPhones till 20225 depending on whaat Apple ahs in teh works and release dates; though I suspect they will show up sooner.

Nothing in the directive, however, prevent Apple from making an Apple specific USB-C implementation beyond PD, whcih could still mean Apple specific cables for 100% functionality across charging and data transfer.

Or, including an adapter which they did the last time the EU standardized on mini-USB.

 

[hcherry]

Well is there any other way to press for a change from a company that’s been hurting its customers for a decade and won’t budge?

Yes. Don’t buy their products.

 

[polyphenol]

Does this means that hardware manufactures need to wait for the European union to approved USB-D in the future?

Surely it depends on what USB-D does and how it does that?

I've already suggested the possibility of a fibre optic link being included. (Just as a possibly poor example.) If some company did that, and didn't break USB-C, I doubt there would be an issue. But if at some point that were defined as USB-D, I'd expect that going forwards they would be expected to conform.

 

[polyphenol]

If Apple asked everyone who intended to buy the 2023, then 2024, etc., iPhone models whether they would choose USB-C or Lightning, I suspect they'd see USB-C win.

I'd choose USB-C.

(Obviously, as we don't even know for ourselves what we are going to buy in future, this is an impossible poll.)

 

[NastyMatt]

This is good news, I will be holding off upgrading my iPhone 13 pro until USB-C is on the iPhone. I travel a fair bit and reducing the number of cables I take is a good thing.

Even now I use my MBA and IPP with my BFP and all I need is one cable. The batteries on all of them are so good I never need to have them on charge at the same time. Would be great to be able to pop the iPhone on charge too if needs be.

Just need to work something out for the AW now!! Maybe inductive charging from the iPhone?!?!

 

[I7guy]

Well is there any other way to press for a change from a company that’s been hurting its customers for a decade and won’t budge?

Hurting which customers? You can’t speak for me.

 

[I7guy]

This is good news, I will be holding off upgrading my iPhone 13 pro until USB-C is on the iPhone. I travel a fair bit and reducing the number of cables I take is a good thing.

[…]

Reducing by one cable? No doubt the iPhone 15 will be great but for me the connector will not be the reason I hold off an upgrade. Ymmv.

 

[UBS28]

So Europe complains about Apple having a monopoly with dating app payments.

And now Europe wants to create a monopoly with USB-C?

How about let the free market decide how things should be. Now everybody will be stuck on USB-C forever.

 

[lartola]

Yes. Don’t buy their products.

That’s an almost impossible approach when we have a tech duopoly where the only two options are iOS and Android.