For the longest time, Apple users have had to splurge — spending a thousand pesos or so — whenever they need a new charging cable. Some would hunt down more affordable alternatives, but unfortunately, unofficial lightning cords often don’t last as long as the original. So most people simply buy a new official cable, even if it’s more expensive. This is why the European government has been calling for a standardization of charging ports and cables across mobile phones and other portable devices.

The law

While the lightning cord has been a part of the Apple ecosystem for over 10 years now, there are more brands that use the USB-C port. Even some Apple devices — like all Macs and newer iPads — use the USB-C port. That’s why the European government has voted to pass a law that requires portable devices to use the same type of charging cable. Through this law, all portable devices in the EU — such as phones and tablets — need to have a USB-C charger starting 2024. Meanwhile, laptops must incorporate it by 2026.

During the vote, 602 were in favor, 13 against, and 8 abstained. The law is expected to officially be approved on October 24.

Why standardize?

For over a decade, this European law has been in the works, and it seems to be finally getting approved within the year. According to EU lawmakers, different charging cords only add cost burdens to consumers and increase unnecessary waste.

So is Apple slowly shifting to USB-C?

Experts speculate that the tech giant has already started the transition to USB-C, especially with the addition of USB-C ports on MacBook and iPad Pro. “My thinking is that Apple has already moved to USB-C on MacBook and iPad Pro so the transition has started. iPhone 14 was quite iterative so iPhone 15 could be a bigger step in design. Therefore, it would be a good time to make the change,” CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood told CNBC.

Reports are also floating around that Apple is exploring the USB-C for the next iPhone. According to Bloomberg, Apple is already conducting tests, but it may not come out until sometime next year.

Will all future iPhones have USB-C?

The general speculation is yes, future models of the iPhone will feature USB-C instead of the lightning port.

“Most likely it would make sense that they get the scale out of moving to this common charger globally rather than having to make individual parts, unless they think that they’re really making so much [money] off of those chargers and accessories and that sort of thing that it’s still worth it for them to maintain that separate,” technology industry analyst Bryan Ma told CNBC.

Should this really happen, consumers can use the USB-C charging port in Apple and its competitors like Samsung.

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