iPhone 15 To Have USB-C Port Confirmed At Least In Europe

The European Union obliges all manufacturers of smartphones and tablets to use USB-C, including Apple. In an interview, the company confirms that iPhones will no longer have a Lightning connector and will instead use the universal USB-C standard.

In a conversation with high-ranking Apple managers, the Wall Street Journal confronted Greg Joswiak (SVP of Worldwide Marketing) and Craig Federighi (SVP of Software Engineering) with the latest decisions of the European Union and the obligation that will apply from 2024 to have a large part of mobile technology devices with USB Equip C-connectors. Apple has been fighting against the modern, universal standard for years – at least when it comes to the iPhone.

Apple May Change In Other Countries

This path now seems to have come to an end: “Of course, we have to stick to it, we have no other choice,” said Joswiak in response to the new EU rules. It is not yet clear whether the switch from Lightning to USB-C will take place next year or in 2024. “The Europeans dictate the schedule for the European customers,” continued Joswiak. When asked if Apple will continue to add Lightning ports to new iPhones outside of the EU, managers declined to answer.

Apple doesn’t really seem to like the legal binding to the USB-C port. Joswiak expects a lot of e-waste as soon as iPhones are switched from Lightning to USB-C. The European Union is trying to reduce this in the long term by choosing a uniform interface. The managers also made no concrete statement about the possibility of completely doing without physical connections and handling power and possibly data transmissions via MagSafe.

At the current status, it can be assumed that at least the next iPhone generations will support the USB-C standard and that the Lightning technology could be buried with AirPods after a further change at the latest.