Report: Apple to Stop Selling iPhone 14 and iPhone SE in EU This Month

[John_Blackthorne]

No, no one always knows best, but in this one case the EU did know, and Apple did not.

And because of that, less budget options for people, lack of Tentpole features (even if you don't tink Apple Intelligence is useful, it is a tentpole you don't get)...less choice.

Unintended consequence of hubris. You didn't think about those you'd leave behind.

And if you did, you simply didn't care--"screw those people--it's for the future, man!"

The idea some silly bureaucrat in Brussels can mandate a lowest common denominator mobile connector that is better than something Apple can design is on its face stoopid.

That people cheer it is bizarre.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

Again were CLEARLY moving in that direction. They’d already transitioned the iPad. They obviously thought Lightening was better for the majority of their customers at that point in time. I suspect they would have switched by now even without the mandate.

“Let’s make future products worse because Apple isn’t moving as fast as I would like” is quite the own goal.

It's moving backwards. USB-C is now, yesterday and to the horizon...until the next better connector that can't be built, marketed or shipped fast enough to get through EU regulations.

By the time the EU changes it, it will be too late again by half.

It holds Apple back and it holds at least a 1/3 of the high end smartphone market hostage to what is convenient today.

Great, you wanted it, you got it. But don't cry when you can't have that and all the other stuff the EU is too slow or dim-witted to allow.

Nobody gets it all. You get to choose.

The EU chose. There are consequences, like loss of phone models and features.

 

[decksnap]

If Apple was good steward in this sense, I would side with Apple, but they weren’t. They showed that they would rather keep and sell a proprietary cable than follow a standard, despite calls from all around complaining that iPhone and iPad needed its own special cable, and it was stuck at USB 2.0, years afterwards 3 came out.

USB 2 is alive and well in USB-C and iPhones, and has absolutely nothing to do with the connector requirement. From a physical connector perspective only, lightning was clearly superior.

 

[Abazigal]

This is so sad! Apple should have stopped selling iPhones in the EU in protest! Bring back the Lightning connector!

Obviously, Apple should have removed the charging port altogether, and released a portless iPhone. 😎

I am only half-joking though. Part of me wonders if Apple would actually have been able to get away with such a stunt.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Obviously, Apple should have removed the charging port altogether, and released a portless iPhone. 😎

I am only half-joking though. Part of me wonders if Apple would actually have been able to get away with such a stunt.

They could probably get away with it. I would have personally exited the Apple ecosystem stage left, but most people would have went along with it.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Why? With that logic, Apple could continue making and selling iPhone 14 until Kingdom Come. When the whole point of the directive is to stop incompatible charging ports making their way into the hands of consumers.

Most phone manufacturers that want to stay in business will eventually refresh their products.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

The SE 2025 should sell for $1000 in the EU

Why is that? So it doesn’t sell at all?

Why stop there? Make the 17 Pro start at €2000, or even €3000, because screw the EU?

Apple needs the EU more than they need Apple.

 

[iHorseHead]

With the marketing push for Apple Intelligence it's probably best that phones not capable of it are removed from the market. It would suck for someone to buy a new iPhone, get it home and then realize it can't do the stuff they see in the ads.

I just bought iPhone 14 yesterday and I dont really care for Apple intelligence

 

[John_Blackthorne]

You don't know what USB C is, so you shouldn't comment, and i like the confidence you show in this comment.
The USB-C connector was introduced in 2014.
if you don't like proprietary standards then buy other phone that has USB charging, there are alternatives.

The guy said his parent's flip phone had USB C. I am saying that is NOT possible

 

[John_Blackthorne]

If Apple was good steward in this sense, I would side with Apple, but they weren’t. They showed that they would rather keep and sell a proprietary cable than follow a standard, despite calls from all around complaining that iPhone and iPad needed its own special cable, and it was stuck at USB 2.0, years afterwards 3 came out.

This isn’t about product designers and engineers vs the EU, this is about shareholder profit and lock-in.

Lighting wasn't made to lock anyone in, despite some hysterical "corporate greed" narrative.

Lighting came out in 2012, two years prior to USBC.

Options at that time were micro/mini-USB (barf) or giant iPod connector.

Neither option was acceptable, so Apple came out with Lightning until the USB C standard was ready (which they helped mainstream in the 12 inch MacBook).

The public went apoplectic when Apple switched to Lighting the 1st time--they weren't going to depants their customers again two years later, so they waited.

Too long? Maybe.

"Greedy American Captialist corporate evil Apple rich people bad shareholders" lock in?

Not real. Please stop with the evil greedy corporate rich people evil schtick.

 

[KPOM]

The EU can update their rules just the same as the USB consortium can update the design.

The only stagnation I see in this whole thread is Apple with lightning.

Who has an incentive to do so when the status quo is mandated? Again, if the EU got its way in 2012 we’d still be using the awful micro-USB since no one would have an incentive to change it.

 

[I7guy]

Almost 2 years of very passionate posts about wobbly ports & broken tongues because of being forced to change. Where’s all those expensive repairs we were so assured were coming? I haven’t even seen ONE broken tongue.

I personally found I have to be much more careful with usb-c than lightning. That’s perhaps the reason…people are more careful because the connector is more fragile.

Lint! Lint! We were assured that USB-c would be a lint magnet… but somehow Lightning wasn’t. I’m still finding lint in pockets. I assumed it would all be gone by now. What happened?

I find sometimes I have to reseat my usb-c in my iPhone to get it to connect. Not good.

We’re now only a few months from the anniversary of the forced change… and I’m yet to read ONE story of crime syndicates emptying EU bank accounts and all sorts of Revelations-level disasters. Security disasters were passionately assured. Where is all of it? I doubt the syndicates- now with so much easier access- could be this patient.

Look around. Digital criminals are everywhere. They go where the money is and it takes time to ramp up. People on MR say because there is at least one rogue app that made it through the review process the App Store isn’t safe. Just wait to see what happens when the first scam comes out of an alternative App Store. It will happen.

Open stores would certainly destroy phones & lives… and evil developers would jack up the prices of their apps, etc. Where’s all that?

Don’t know where you heard “evil developers” will jack up the price of their apps. I heard on MR that the consumer will pay the same, while the dev makes more. win/win? Of course it takes time for all of the this to ramp up.

I realize the most passionate fans can’t help themselves but side with whatever is best for Apple in all scenarios- even against fellow consumers…

the passionate fans are still apple consumers. And all Apple consumers don’t want exactly the same thing. That’s why vote with your $$$ is so important.

but did the rest of us learn anything? Because there’s always a next time.

Think we learned how bad the DMA actually is.

“Wolf! Wolf!” cried the boy… but this time the villagers did not come. Or does our village buy whatever Apple spins EVERY time? “Wolf! Wolf!”

You believe these digital scams are “wolf wolf? Don’t think you are looking very hard.

 

[quietstormSD]

Seems stupid that the law applies to devices that were already being sold.

 

[KPOM]

If Apple was good steward in this sense, I would side with Apple, but they weren’t. They showed that they would rather keep and sell a proprietary cable than follow a standard, despite calls from all around complaining that iPhone and iPad needed its own special cable, and it was stuck at USB 2.0, years afterwards 3 came out.

This isn’t about product designers and engineers vs the EU, this is about shareholder profit and lock-in.

Apple was literally the first company to adopt USB-C in 2015 with the 12” MacBook and then a year later with the entire MacBook Pro line. They made a promise in 2012 that they would stick with Lightning for the iPhone for at least 10 years, since so many were upset that they had to replace their 30-pin accessories. They stuck with Lightning for 11 years.

 

[KPOM]

Seems stupid that the law applies to devices that were already being sold.

Yes. This takes a cheaper option off the market in the EU.

 

[KPOM]

Why? With that logic, Apple could continue making and selling iPhone 14 until Kingdom Come. When the whole point of the directive is to stop incompatible charging ports making their way into the hands of consumers.

No they wouldn’t because eventually iPhone 14 would be out of date. But it’s a 2 year old design that can easily last another year or 2 and provide consumers a cheaper alternative that still has modern features.

 

[KPOM]

Why? With that logic, Apple could continue making and selling iPhone 14 until Kingdom Come. When the whole point of the directive is to stop incompatible charging ports making their way into the hands of consumers.

If history is any guide, the iPhone 14 will be discontinued in 9 months in the US, which does not mandate any type of charging port, simply because it will be a 3 year old design. Why not let Apple sell it for another 9 months in the EU? It isn’t as if people don’t realize it doesn’t have USB-C?

 

[JapanApple]

People in the EU should be celebrating! You guys brought Apple to its knees! You got Fortnite! You got side loaded apps and you even got the connector you wanted!

Who cares about lower cost phones affordable to less fortunate folks?

Those people don't matter, right?

Don't you love it when entities like the EU only look at what is best for themselves? causing others to pay the price? EU is going to see even higher prices now GOOD JOB!

 

[scorpio vega]

I understand the frustration, but without this law, Apple would still be making current gen iPhones with a lightning port.

Which never bothered me.

 

[AppliedMicro]

Everything points that Apple was already moving towards USB-C, at most this moved it up a year.

Unfounded speculation.

They literally waited until basically the very last moment on several of their products to adopt USB-C. Even ones for which Lightning never made much sense (their desktop peripherals. Because they’re stationary and computers have USB-C ports). This does not suggest Apple as following a great transitioning plan independently from EU regulation.

EU idiocy strikes again! They don't know better than product designers and shouldn't get involved.

Europhobic bashing strikes again.
No one is shedding a tear for Lightning in iPhones at this point.

No one has any incentive to design a better connector when you'd have to convince the EU to allow it.

USB-C connectors are here to stay - just as USB-A did for a quarter of a century. When USB-C hits its limits and something is being developed, the requirement can be lifted. Simple as that. No rocket science.

You‘re just anti-regulation as a matter of principle.

I can’t believe how many people are defending the EU here. If they had their way your iPhone would have Micro-USB.

As a simple matter of fact, we have the better USB-C standard - EU or not.

Again were CLEARLY moving in that direction. They’d already transitioned the iPad.

They already transitioned their MacBook line beginning in 2015. Almost 10 years ago. They completed that with the Retina MacBook Air (replacing the wholly outdated 2011 design) released in 2018. More than 6 years ago.
So was their first USB-C iPad - released more than 6 years ago.

Meanwhile, the released new Lightning products through 2020 (AirPods Max), 2021 (Apple TV remote, AirPods) and (2022 AirPods Pro 2nd gen).

👉 „Clearly moving in that direction“, „at most a year“?
You‘d probably still call it that in 2030, if Apple took another 6 years in the absence of regulation. 😉

 

[dampfnudel]

My theory is that Apple intends to discontinue the iPhone 14 series worldwide when they launch the iPhone SE 4 next year. Based on all the rumors, the new SE would be equal or better than the iPhone 14 in every meaningful way except not having a second ultrawide camera.

Like, who in their right mind would spend $599 for the iPhone 14 with Lightning and the A15 chip (no Apple Intelligence) when they could get the iPhone SE 4 for $499 with USB-C and the A18 chip, which supports Apple Intelligence? More likely is that the iPhone SE 4 replaces the iPhone 14 at the $599 price point.

There’s still a question of who’s buying the iPhone 15 for $699 when the iPhone SE 4 is available for $599. But at least you can justify the 15 because it has USB-C, likely the same 48 megapixel main sensor as the SE 4, an additional ultrawide sensor, and the Dynamic Island (SE 4 will have a notch).

I expect sales of the 15 to plummet with the release of the new SE. A18, 8GB of RAM and Apple Intelligence for 100 bucks less sounds like a good deal. Maybe some nice colors as well.

 

[Abazigal]

I understand the frustration, but without this law, Apple would still be making current gen iPhones with a lightning port.

I would argue that usb-c was always destined to come to the iPhone in 2023, but it's fine to me if the pro-regulatory folks want to take a victory lap over the EU mandate. They want a phone built by regulation, they will get a phone built by regulation. The people cheering this on just don't know what it will cost them in the long run.

 

[eifelbube]

Normal users have one or two devices. They don't have bluetooth speakers, game consoles, multiple computers, etc. We're the exception, not the rule.

I'm glad the iPhone switched to USB-C. It makes my life easier. But just because it makes my life easier doesn't mean we need the government coming in and mandating it. Remember the EU tried to do this to make Micro-USB the connector. If they had succeed there would be no USB-C or Lightening! And now we are literally stuck with USB-C forever! No one has any incentive to design a better connector when you'd have to convince the EU to allow it.

The government was elected by people. If the EU people mandated USB-C directly from Apple, Apple would have ignored them.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

It will be just a three months low-cost limbo before SE 2025 arrives. In the meantime people will still be able to get those older models from carrier and third-party retailer shops.

"Just three months."

Tell that to someone who is not you.

 

[Tagbert]

Funny thing is my current phone is my first USB-C phone. And it is also the first iPhone I’ve had that is completely, utterly, 100% unreliable with wired CarPlay (my car doesn’t have wireless CarPlay unfortunately). My wife and daughter both have a Lightning iPhone…and with both, CarPlay works flawlessly if they connect to my car. My USB-C phone…CarPlay freezes and disconnects multiple times and then finally just refuses to connect to the car. Which is a very inconvenient issue considering the amount of time I spend in my car.

That is not a general problem with USB-C. That may be a problem with your cable, your car’s USB port or even your phone’s USB port. If one of those things has a weak conductor or a misalign contact, you can get flaky connections. Meanwhile many thousands of people are able to reliably use USB-C for CarPlay connections. It’s not significantly less or more reliable than Lightning.