Apple have finally made the switch to USB-C on iPhone, and it’s not because they wanted to, it’s because Europe made them do it. 28th December 2024 is the deadline announced by the EU that all new phones, tablets and cameras sold in the European Union must be equipped with a USB-C charging port.
If you aren’t familiar with the USB-C charging point, it is a flattened oval shape as pictured (or a shallow rectangle with rounded corners, depending on how you look at it).
The theory behind this is to reduce environmental waste because people can continue to use their old cables and chargers even after upgrading to a new device. And also it just makes sense to have a universal charger.
What does this mean for Apple users?
Well, Apple didn’t wait for the deadline and made the switch early. The iPhone 15 went on sale on 22nd September 2023 equipped with the USB-C port and cable. It allows iPhone 15 users to charge and connect to numerous Apple devices such as MacBook & iPad (MacBook and many iPads have been using USB-C for several years already) and the AirPods Pro 2. But now, they can also connect to other non-Apple devices – external storage, monitors, keyboards, SD card adapters, microphones, Nintendo Switch – anything that has a USB-C port can be connected to the iPhone 15, whereas the old lightning cable was only compatible with other Apple devices.
Unfortunately, there may be some disgruntled iPhone users out there who have spent money on lightning cables and accessories, which will eventually become unusable, and they may have to rely on adapters to continue use. But of course, the USB-C is nothing new to a lot of people, especially Android users, and the chances are many of us have a USB-C cable and charger lying around the house somewhere just waiting to be plugged into an iPhone 15.
What else?
A universal charger is a welcome change for many people, but it does come with its own set of problems.
Although the USB-C cables all look the same, they probably are not. Some cables might only offer basic charging, and others will do a fast charge. Some will transfer data, but they might transfer it fast, or it might be incredibly slow. Until you read the small print you probably won’t know what your cable is capable of, and this could cause problems if you are swapping cables across different devices.
