The European Parliament voted in favor of standard chargers in all smartphones and various consumer electronic devices by the end of 2024, including Apple's products. The new rules will directly and most severely affect Apple, which still uses a decade-old Lightning port in many of its products. Macrumors listed Apple products that still use the Lightning connector, and those products must switch to USB-C by the end of 2024 to comply with the new law.
- iPhone 15: The first iPhone with a USB-C port, expected to launch in fall 2023.
- Entry-level iPad: The only iPad that still uses the Lightning port
- AirPods charging case: All AirPods cases still feature Lightning
- Accessories: MagSafe Battery Pack, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse, EarPods, and Beats Products.
Apple introduced the Lightning port in 2012 as part of the iPhone 5 redesign. Officials say the port improves durability and ease of use compared to the 30-pin port used by previous iPhones. Calling the Lightning port "the modern port of the next decade".
While Apple has introduced the USB-C port to most of its iPad lineup, its most popular products are sticking with the Lightning port. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry has moved almost entirely to USB-C, which has become the standard in consumer products for manufacturers and customers.
0 Comments