14 DAY TRIAL // The European Commission will begin an assessment study to determine whether device manufacturers comply with its requirements to offer a common mobile phone charger.
EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager says the Commission isn’t happy with how phone makers handle this problem, without providing any specifics as to whether a specific company could end up being investigated or not.
However, it’s believed that Apple may be one of the companies risking legal trouble due to its Lightning port, as it is one of the largest companies still not migrating to the USB-C standard already.
Back in 2009, a total of 14 companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to adopt a common charger for smartphones, with new letters of intent signed in 2013 and 2014 after the original agreement came to an end in 2012. Companies like Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Nokia were part of the group.
EU evaluating a possible need for action
But while Samsung, Huawei, and the others have all switched to USB-C, Apple is the only one that decided to stick with its own proprietary Lightning port.
“Given the unsatisfactory progress with this voluntary approach, the Commission will shortly launch an impact assessment study to evaluate costs and benefits of different other options,” Vestager was quoted as saying by Euractiv.
Rumors that have been swirling around in the last few months indicated that Apple has at least considered the switch to USB-C, and the legal trouble in Europe might be one of the reasons. While a decision in this regard hasn’t been made, it’s believed that Apple is still thinking of such a change for future-generation iPhones.
The 2018 lineup, which will see daylight in September, will come with the Lightning port, and it’s believed that Apple will include another fast charging adapter with USB-C support. Full details, however, would be unveiled by Apple itself in the fall.