Apple’s statement against unification of EU smartphone charging standards

Recently, reports have been reported that the European Parliament has begun to discuss unification of charging devices for all mobile phones, including smartphones sold in the EU. The most affected by this policy is Apple, which uses Lightning, a proprietary standard for the iPhone. In response to the European Parliament’s efforts, Apple has issued a statement against it that it is the regulation that enforces the unification of connector standards and that it will curb innovation.

According to reports, Apple claims that the disappearance of the Lightning terminal according to EU regulatory measures will cause inconvenience to hundreds of millions of consumers. In addition, it claimed that there would be an unprecedented amount of electronic waste that would result in abandoning all existing Lightning accessories such as docking stations and vehicle adapters.

Apple also said that regulations that force the unification of the connector specifications built into all smartphones will not promote innovation, but will curb innovation and harm European consumers and the economy as a whole. He insisted that he would keep trying to find a solution that does not limit his ability to do so.

The European Parliament did not mention the unified standard itself, but looking at the current state, USB Type C can be said to be influential. In fact, the Mac and iPad Pro already adopt USB Type C. However, it is observed that Lightning will change to USB Type C whenever a new model is released, but it has not been realized so far. In the case of the iPhone in 2021, there is also an expectation that Lightning will disappear and the whole will become a fortress.

Why not only prevent the use of USB Type C on the iPhone, but also try to protect Lightning, which may be abolished in flagship models in the future. As Apple has revealed, it may be considering maintaining the status quo rather than innovation, such as a consumer who owns a Lightning accessory or the possibility that the consumer will leave if Lightning is abandoned on a low-end iPhone. Related information can be found here .