According to the EU, Apple will have to rethink its proprietary Lightning connectors from mid-2024: USB-C will come as a uniform charging standard.
Micro-USB, USB-C, Apple’s Lightning port and other proprietary connectors, e.g. on notebooks: Many different chargers can be required to charge all of your devices. At least for new devices, this should change in autumn 2024 according to a current EU agreement.
From this point on, there is only one uniform charging standard for small to medium-sized electrical devices, including notebooks, in the form of USB-C. With an additional buffer of 40 months, however, there is a significantly longer conversion period.
The somewhat inaccurate statement Herbst 2024
is due to the fact that the agreement is only provisional so far. However, approval by the EU countries and the EU Parliament after the summer break is considered a formality. This is followed by publication in the Official Journal of the EU and twenty days later the agreement enters into force. Two years later, the regulations finally have to be complied with.
By the way, here you can find out why there are also unusual connections such as USB Type B in addition to USB-C:
more on the subject
Why are there such strange connectors as USB Type B?
Affected devices, targets and other specifications
According to the official press release The new regulation is about simplifying things for customers, reducing e-waste and promoting sustainability. The following devices are explicitly mentioned:
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- E-Book-Reader
- earphones
- digital cameras
- headphones and headsets
- Handhelds
- Portable speakers
Up to 250 million dollars can be saved by reusing existing power supplies. At the same time, the EU Parliament states that discarded and unused power supplies account for around 11,000 tons of electronic waste every year.
Fast charging and new purchase without power supply: In addition to standardizing the general charging standard, the charging speeds for devices with a quick charging function are also to be standardized. The final component of the agreement is the option of being able to buy new devices both with and without a charger.
The spread of devices with a USB-C connection for charging has recently increased bit by bit, probably also against the background of the long-standing efforts to achieve a uniform charging standard in the EU. The most prominent exception is probably Apple’s iPhones, which also use the proprietary Lightning connector in the current version 13.
