As per the new regulation of the EU, mobile manufacturing companies are instructed to manufacture similar charging cables for all devices. Apple sells its uniquely designed Lightning adapter that powers its range of devices. Unlike its rival, Samsung, which offers multiple solutions for charging phones, Apple has stuck to its independent charging cable to create a monopoly in the business.
The European Union has changed the law for phone manufacturers to provide standard charging connections for consumers by December 2024. The initiative has been taken to reduce waste and save the consumer’s money.
Apple has always been the company that secures its market with different technology. They are creating an ecosystem that is difficult to penetrate with hardware and software. Offering a unique lightning charging cable is part of their expansion strategy. Therefore, the users must buy the charger separately because you cannot use Type-C or ordinary chargers that you generally find in other phones.
So, if you are new to the Apple ecosystem and do not have a charging cable because Apple does not ship it with the phone, you must buy it separately. You cannot simply connect your Android or phone charger to Apple.
These could change in the future, especially in the European region, because the EU is taking strict measures to cut down unnecessary consumer expenses, which cannot be solved with alternative options.
Apple has been in the top league of the mobile market for several decades. They understand their consumer’s needs and business monopoly. Thus, when the EU changed the rules for the charging cable, Apple officials sent a statement arguing against the sudden change of the rules. As per the statement from Apple, they told the EU that they are restricting innovation in the industry by enforcing the unwanted law.
Lightning to USB-C adaptors have been introduced since the iPhone 8 launch. Hence, users who do not want to use the Lightning cable can take the additional device to convert it to the USB-C adaptors. It is widely available on Amazon and e-commerce sites.
Besides that, the latest iPhone supports wireless charging. Therefore, you do not need a special cable to charge your phone. The wireless docking system can be easily used and carried during travel.
Apple is moving towards a viable solution to remove the wired connection from their devices to simplify it. There is a high probability that the future iPhones and other Apple devices may not have the Lightning cable connection.
All Apple devices could have wireless charging capability. If Apple chooses the path to make all their devices wireless charging capable, then the issues may be resolved, and the EU will not have to look personally into the Apple production line and their usage.
Currently, the Lightning cable is solved at the cost of £19. Since Apple stopped shipping the charging cable with the device, the first-time user has to buy the charging cable separately. You cannot use any other charging cable with it, which is sometimes inconvenient for people who travel often.
Apple may think of another solution for the EU market. But, creating a different application for the company would be challenging for the other countries. It may sound easy, but for the brand to move from its core practices makes the process difficult. It may also affect the company’s brand value when the users can access the different charging cables for their Apple devices.
Apple is planning its next new iPhone launch at the end of this year when it will unveil the next generation iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. If the EU pressures Apple Inc., we will likely see a Type-C charging cable available for users in the EU.
Slight adaptation may help Apple users easily switch to the standard chargers for iPhones and other Apple devices. Also, the Type-C charging cable offers faster download speeds, saving lots of time.
EU’s new regulations have been circulated to all the mobile manufacturing companies to adopt the standard charging wires for all devices, regardless of what device you sell. Laptop manufacturers are also advised to create a similar charging cable so one charger will be enough to charge all laptops.
As per the estimation, the small change would save consumers up to €250m a year and reduce approximately 11,000 tonnes of waste annually.
