Apple admits defeat, will switch iPhones to USB-C charging

RIP to the iPhone Lightening Cable.


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We’re rapidly approaching the day when we’ll be able to simply ask a friend “do you have a phone charger?” without the need to add words like “Android” or “Lighting Cable” to clarify.

Now that the EU (and Brazil) has voted to require all phone makers to use USB-C charging by 2024, Apple has finally given us some sort of confirmation that a USB-C iPhone is on the horizon.

Though there’s been no official announcement or timeline, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior Vice President of marketing, begrudgingly confirmed the change in an interview at Wall Street Journal’s WSJ Tech Live event on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we’ll have to comply; we have no choice,” Joswiak said when asked if Apple would be making the switch from Light night Cable to USB-C.

The mandates from the European Council and Brazil are designed to eliminate electronic waste, or e-waste. Apple has long been skeptical of that idea, however, a position that Joswiak doubled down on. “We think the approach would’ve been better environmentally, and better for our customers, for the governments to not be that prescriptive,” he added.

The inevitable truth is that this is all likely just a stop-gap on our way to wireless charging, whether we like it or not.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. This post contains references to products from one or more of our partners and we may receive compensation when you click on links to those products.

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