European lawmakers are set to meet on June 7 as they try to finalize a deal to enforce a single universal charging port law, under which all mobile devices sold in the EU would have to offer USB-C ports for charging.
We've been hearing talk for years about the European Union imposing a common charging port on all phones, even tablets and headphones. Now, Reuters reports that those talks are likely to become a reality, citing anonymous sources.
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The EU will reach an agreement on a common charging method on June 7th
We may finally be witnessing the end of the Lightning port (at least in Europe) if the proposal for a common charging port is finalized and passed into law. As you can already imagine, the common charging port proposed by the EU bill will be USB-C.
On June 7, member states and EU lawmakers are reportedly set to meet to discuss the proposal in question. You may have heard (or you may have guessed) that Apple is criticizing this proposal.
It may come as a surprise to some, but this proposal for a single mobile charging port was first put forward by the European Commission more than a decade ago. Its introduction was prompted by iPhone and Android complaining about having to use different chargers for their phones.
And it looks like this proposal is on its way to becoming law. According to Reuters sources, next Tuesday will mark the final meeting of EU countries with EU lawmakers on this issue. One of the issues is whether or not laptops will be included in this proposal. If that happens, it could affect Samsung and other device makers .
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In addition, EU lawmakers are trying to include wireless charging systems that will be “harmonized” by 2025, but some EU countries and the European Commission are demanding a longer adaptation period for technical reasons.
As for Apple, the company has previously criticized this proposal, pointing out that if the proposal becomes law, it could cause more e-waste. Why? Well, such a law could make iPhone users abandon their current Lightning accessories. Furthermore, forcing users to switch to new chargers would also create a mountain of e-waste.
But Apple may actually be moving towards the USB-C connector anyway. Recent rumors about the iPhone 15 (yes, the iPhone 14 hasn't even been released yet, but there's nothing stopping iPhone 15 rumors from surfacing) suggest that the 2023 iPhones may ditch the Lightning connector in favor of USB-C.
Information source: phonearena.com
