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The European Commission will soon present a legislative proposal that could institute a common charger for mobile devices in the EU, possibly forcing Apple to ditch Lightning for USB-C.
According to Reuters, the introduction of a legislative proposal implementing a common pricing standard in Europe could take place as early as Thursday 23 September.
In addition to a proposed harmonized charging port, the European Commission would also like sales of charging equipment to be decoupled from devices.
EU lawmakers say a common charger would be more convenient for consumers and be more environmentally friendly. Apple has spoken out against mandatory charging standards, saying they will hamper innovation, annoy consumers and create unnecessary e-waste.
It’s unclear what kind of port the EU would require, but it would likely be USB-C. In 2018, half of chargers sold with cell phones are equipped with a micro USB connector, while 29% have a USB-C with an increase since. At the time, 21% had Apple’s proprietary Lightning format, but that has also increased over time.
Although Apple has USB-C ports on some hardware, Lightning is standard on its iPhone devices. While some rumors indicated that a USB-C iPhone would be likely in the future, other reports suggest that Apple won’t be adopting USB-C anytime soon and may instead opt for an entirely portless iPhone.
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