The gradual shift of Apple's products to USB-C from Lightning ports could see a switch of connectors on all Airpods and Mac accessories by 2024, according to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The shift from Lightning ports has been necessitated by the European Union’s new directive which is looking to mandate USB-C charging on new smartphones, tablets, and headphones released in the region after 2024.
Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved the new directive which will force manufacturers to offer USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of devices by the end of 2024. In his latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, Mark Gurman mentions that Apple has been preparing to make changes to its devices to meet the new European legal requirements.
Apple technically doesn’t need to comply with the EU’s upcoming law until 2025, as a two-year grace period is expected to be given to companies to make the transition to USB-C.
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However, according to Gurman, Apple will still beat the legislation's date of application in late 2024 with most of its products. The iPhone 15 is expected to beat the EU's mandate by a year, featuring a USB-C port in the fall of 2023. While the entry-level iPad, which is the only iPad to feature a Lightning connector, is expected to switch to USB-C by the end of this year.
As per the report, Apple might bring USB-C to the next-gen AirPods (2nd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods (3rd generation) by 2024. The Mac accessories, including the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad could also make the switch to USB-C as soon as next year.
Gurman believes the switch to USB-C will be across Apple's family of products. However, he believes that the USB-C era will be shorter than the tenure of the 30-pin iPod connector or Lightning, especially for Apple's mobile devices.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
