Why is a tiny change to the iPhone's charger such a big deal?
A change to comply with EU regulations could have global ramifications
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Apple's iPhone 15 line was unveiled on Tuesday, and the most notable change to the product may have been the smallest: The iPhone 15 will utilize a USB-C charging port, unlike prior iterations that have employed the company's own Lightning charging port.
All of the iPhone 15 models will utilize USB-C chargers. Described in Apple's press release as "a universally accepted standard for charging and transferring data," the USB-C cable will allow charging on "iPhone, Mac, iPad, and the updated AirPods Pro." Apple is making the change to comply with European Union regulations, introduced in June 2022, that require all smartphones to use the same type of charger. These regulations were passed, the EU said, in order to "make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste, and make consumers’ lives easier."
Notably, the USB-C changes to the iPhone will be seen globally, not just in the EU, in an effort to standardize Apple's product. However, while many may think that this change seems small, others have noted that the switch could come with several domino effects. This includes potential headaches for consumers who are used to Apple's Lightning ports, in addition to concerns over the possible dominance of the global tech market by EU regulators.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What are commentators saying?
While Apple's switch "might sound like an irritating change at first ... Apple’s adoption of this standard is generally good news," Dave Gershgorn wrote for Wirecutter. As a result of the change, "rather than needing to keep another, separate cable for your Apple devices, you’ll be able to use a USB-C cable to charge, say, your iPhone 15, Nintendo Switch, Bose headphones and Windows laptop," Gershgorn added. He also noted that most consumers "likely already have a USB-C cable for your laptop or earbuds," which is "basically the point of the European Union’s legislation: A single standardized port means people don’t need to buy different cables for different devices."
Thomas Husson, a vice president at Forrester Research, expressed a similar sentiment, telling CNN that "it’s hard to imagine that customers will be totally caught out by this switch, and in the long term, it’s likely to benefit them" due to the ubiquity of USB-C chargers. However, Apple itself notably seemed irked with the change, given that the company "makes good money from selling Lightning cables and its many related accessories," David McQueen, a director at ABI Research, told CNN.
The bigger question, though, is perhaps whether the EU is gaining too much power in the tech market by enacting these types of regulations. The EU is "basically the big dog of regulations," Anupam Chander, a law professor at Georgetown, told Marketplace. Tech regulation has thrived in the EU "in part because the companies are mostly American," Chander added. Iverna McGowan, director of the Center for Democracy and Technologies Europe Office, told Marketplace that the EU can often cause changes globally, as it did with the iPhone 15, because "it often doesn’t make sense just to change business processes or the way they operate for one region."
Despite these concerns, some felt that Apple's switch was long overdue. "We’ve reached an end result that is better for consumers and the environment," Dave Lee reported for Bloomberg. "But it would have been much better for Apple to have made this move of its own volition."
What's next?
The EU said that Apple had to comply with the regulations by 2024, and the iPhone 15 is set to drop on Sept. 22, releasing just under the — and with the correct — wire. Following this, it's been rumored that Apple "may try to recoup its lost Lightning licensing fees by implementing a Made for iPhone program for USB-C accessories," Wired reported, though nothing is set in stone. What is clear, though, is that the interconnectivity of USB-C means that "Android phones and iPhones will have a kind of parity between accessories not seen before," Wired added.
Despite pushback from the company, the new charger undoubtedly marks one of the biggest changes in the history of the iPhone. And while customers may be wary of the USB-C change, "we can reasonably expect that the next time Apple decides to change the charging port will be the moment it removes it altogether" due to the increased ubiquity of wireless charging, Lee added.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Justin Klawans is a staff writer at The Week. Based in Chicago, he was previously a breaking news reporter for Newsweek, writing breaking news and features for verticals including politics, U.S. and global affairs, business, crime, sports, and more. His reporting has been cited on many online platforms, in addition to CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
He is also passionate about entertainment and sports news, and has covered film, television, and casting news as a freelancer for outlets like Collider and United Press International, as well as Chicago sports news for Fansided.
-
Ben Fountain's 6 favorite books about Haiti
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Marie Vieux-Chauvet, Katherine Dunham and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 picturesque homes in apartments abroad
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Costa Rica and a luxury department store-turned-home in New Zealand
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why 2023 has been the year of strikes and labor movements
The Explainer From Hollywood to auto factories, workers are taking to the picket lines
By Justin Klawans Published
-
The advent of the AI iPhone: does new tech show promise or peril?
Talking Point Apple design guru Jony Ive and Open AI founder Sam Altman believed to be in talks to create new device
By The Week Staff Published
-
China steals the spotlight at Apple's iPhone 15 launch
How will a directive from the Chinese government affect the tech giant?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Apple fixes its 'ducking' autocorrect problem
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Could Apple's $3,500 headset change the VR game?
Today's Big Question The ski goggle-like device could revolutionize an industry — that is, if people are willing to buy it
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Apple’s Vision Pro: is the VR future finally here?
Talking Point The ‘mixed reality’ headset could redefine how we use personal devices
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Apple’s Foxconn iPhone nightmare
Talking Point Zero-Covid protests in Zhengzhou slow down production of flagship smartphones ahead of Christmas rush
By Julia O'Driscoll Published
-
iPhone 14: are Apple launch events losing their lustre?
Speed Read Social media users have ‘poked fun’ at tech giant’s latest event amid talk of ‘upgrade fatigue’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Why Covid is threatening the world’s supply of iPhones
feature Chinese authorities working with key companies to resume production
By The Week Staff Published