The European Union (EU) regulators have agreed on a long-awaited deal that will force Apple and other electronic companies to use a standard charger for smartphones, tablets and laptops sold in the bloc.
Under the new legislation, which aims at reducing electronic waste and eliminating cable clutter, smartphone makers will be required to support USB Type-C as the common charging port for devices. The legislation will come into effect from 2024, EU officials announced on Tuesday.
The new law covers 15 categories of products, including earbuds, video game consoles, tablets, headphones, portable speakers and e-readers. As a result, companies such as Huawei and Samsung are likely to be impacted by the new rule. However, the move will have particularly impact Apple, the maker of iPhones, which uses a lightning cable.
Unlike the iPhone, Android-based devices already use the new standard.
Laptops makers have been given 40-months to make the transition to the single charger because of technical issues, Financial Times reported.
Although Apple did not immediately respond to media requests for a response, it had informed the EU officials during the legislative process that the proposed rule would make a billion devices and accessories that use the company's proprietary lightning connector useless. The tech giant had also said earlier that the move would deprive consumers from buying lower-priced older models compatible with existing accessories and chargers. In general, when Apple launches a new iPhone, it offers discounts on the older generation phones, leading to many customers opting for cheaper variants.
In the meantime, Apple is already working on an iPhone that will support the USB-C charging port. The new iPhone could debut next year, Bloomberg reported last month.
According to a 2019 European Commission study, half the chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector and 29 percent had a USB-C connector. The report said 21 percent of the chargers came with a lightning connector.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
