14 DAY TRIAL // The European Union has recently passed new legislation that requires companies selling devices on the Old Continent to equip their products with a USB-C port.
This helps create a universal connector that would eventually make it easier for users to charge their devices, especially because device makers would be forced to give up on proprietary ports.
The new regulations are set to come into effect in late 2024, and this week, they reached another major step. The directive was published in the Official Journal, which means it’s now set in stone, so by the end of 2024, all devices sold in Europe must be equipped with a USB-C port.
Obviously, Apple is by far the company impacted the hardest by this law, as all iPhones are now fitted with its own Lightning connector. People familiar with the matter said the switch to USB-C could take place as soon as 2023, though it’s not clear if the change would happen only on a specific model or on all devices included in the iPhone 15 lineup.
As per the EU regulations, the change is aimed at mobile phones, tablets, and cameras, with all these categories forced to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024. Furthermore, laptops would have to comply with the same regulations by the spring of 2025.
“Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they purchase a new device, as they will be able to use one single charger for a whole range of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices,” the EU announced.
“Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.”