Apple has confirmed that the iPhone will support USB-C charging following a European Union mandate.
In a Tuesday interview at The Wall Street Journal's annual Tech Live conference, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing, said the tech giant had been in a "little bit of a disagreement" over the issue.
"Governments, you know, get to do what they're going to do. And, obviously, we'll have to comply," he said. "We have no choice – as we do around the world – to comply to local laws. But, you know, we think the approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive."
Joswiak did not answer whether the company would include the connector on phones outside the EU.
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He noted that power adapters with detachable cables made it easy for people to use what they had already and "not have to be disrupted."
An Apple Lightning port charging cable is seen with an iPhone in this illustration photo, in Warsaw, Poland on Oct. 5, 2022.
(STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Daily Post Digital's request for comment from Apple, including asking when the change would be made, was not immediately returned.
The law – which was given final approval earlier in the week – says all mobile phones, tablets, headphones, gaming consoles and cameras sold in member countries will have to be equipped with a USB-C charging port by the end of 2024.
The issue of chargers has preoccupied EU institutions for more than a decade. Shown are, from left, USB-C, an Apple Lightning and a Micro-USB cable.
(Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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That mandate will extend to laptops by spring 2026 and the European Parliament said the measure is part of a broader effort to reduce e-waste.
The commission said EU consumers bought about 420 million electronic devices in 2020 and own three chargers, on average, to charge the devices.
(STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to the European Commission, the directive also allows consumers to choose whether to purchase a new device with or without a charger.
Four years after the directive is enforced, the commission said it would assess whether an unbundling of sales should be mandatory.
In a release, the commission said EU consumers bought approximately 420 million electronic devices in 2020 and own three chargers, on average, to charge the devices – with 38% reporting problems charging because no compatible charger was available.
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