Apple’s new iPhone 15 may replace the Lightning cable with the USB-C charging standard

CNN
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Apple is scheduled to unveil the iPhone 15 In a few daysIt is widely expected to bring significant change.

The iPhone 15 is widely rumored to ditch Apple’s proprietary Lightning charger in favor of USB-C charging, marking a milestone for the company by adopting universal charging. The change could eventually simplify the charging process across different devices – And brands.

The switch will come in less than a year After the European Union vote Legislation requiring smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, portable speakers and other small devices to support USB-C charging by 2024 has been approved. The first-of-its-kind law aims to reduce The number of chargers and cables consumers have to deal with when purchasing a new device, and allowing users to mix and match devices and chargers even if they are produced by different manufacturers.

“This is arguably the biggest iPhone design disruption in many years, but it’s actually not a dramatic move,” said Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.

That’s because Apple

(Camel) It previously converted iPads and MacBooks to USB-C charging. However, the company remained resistant to making the change to the iPhone.

Last year, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, He stressed publicly The value and ubiquity of the Lightning charger, designed to charge devices faster, but he noted that “obviously we will have to comply” with the EU mandate.

“We do not have the option, as we do around the world, to comply with local laws, but we believe this approach would have been better environmentally and better for our customers if they did not have a government. [have] This perspective,” Joswiak He said on time.

The EU’s decision is part of a larger effort to tackle e-waste overall, but could it generate more in the short term as they phase out their Lightning cables. (Apple will also likely need to develop a program to recycle Lightning cables.)

Although Apple has expressed environmental concerns about what happens to its older Lightning chargers, it has financial reasons to push back on the change as well.

apple Provided Lightning charger Along with the iPhone 5 in 2012, the old 30-pin docking connector was replaced with a connector that enables faster charging and has Reversible design. It has also sparked a business for related accessories, requiring users to do so Buy a $30 Lightning adapter To connect the device to old docks, alarm clocks and speaker systems.

“For Apple, it was all about controlling its own ecosystem,” said David McQueen, director of ABI Research. “Apple makes good money selling Lightning cables and many related accessories.”

It also takes a cut of third-party accessories and cables that pass through its Made For iPhone program. “Moving to USB Type C would remove that level of control because USB-C is a more open ecosystem,” McQueen said.

Additionally, Apple could create its own USB-C cable to offer “better iPhone” performance, such as allowing for greater wattage. He added that it supports faster charging while reducing risks and damage to the batteries.

It is currently unclear whether the switch to USB-C will happen for all new iPhone 15 models or just the Pro devices. The move to USB-C is unlikely to be the only incentive for people to upgrade, but it may impact some consumers who have resisted the technology. iPhone due to charging limitations, according to Thomas Howson, vice president of Forrester Research.

iPhone 15 devices are expected to ship with a new cable in the box, but given that many mobile devices already use USB-C, including Apple’s own iPads and MacBooks, access to charging cords won’t be too difficult or expensive.

“Given how widely USB-C is used in other devices, it’s hard to imagine that customers will be completely impressed with this switch, and in the long run, it will likely benefit them, with a universal charging system having some very clear features,” Wood said. “Positive aspects.”

Apple could also skip wired charging altogether to make room for wireless charging, but not anytime soon because “wireless charging is currently much slower than wired charging,” according to McQueen. “We’ll have to wait and see on that.”