The European Parliament has now officially voted to introduce a standard charging port for all smartphones and a wide range of electronic devices, including new Apple products, by the end of 2024.
The new regulation will have a direct and most significant impact on Apple, which is responsible for a wide range of products continues to use a decades-old connector, Lightning. Below we've listed some of the most popular Apple products that currently use Lightning and will have to switch to USB-C when newer models come out in 2025 or later to comply with the new law.
Apple has to abandon the Lightning connector
- iPhone: The first iPhone with a USB-C port will be rumored to be the iPhone 15 next year
- Entry-level iPad: The only iPad that currently has a Lightning connector
- AirPods charging case: All AirPods cases still have the Lightning connector
- Accessories: MagSafe Battery Pack, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse, EarPods and Beats products
Apple introduced the Lightning connector in 2012 as part of the iPhone 5 redesign, promising better durability and usability compared to the 30-pin connector used on previous iPhones. When it was announced in 2012, Phil Schiller called the Lightning connector "the modern connector for the next decade." While Apple has chosen to equip many of its iPad models with USB-C, it has largely stuck with Lightning for its most popular products. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry has largely moved to USB-C. Most flagship Android smartphones come with USB-C, making the connector the standard for consumer products for manufacturers and customers alike. (Photo by dba87 / Bigstockphoto)
