Apple’s getting ready to undertake USB-C charging throughout its line of AirPods and Mac equipment throughout the subsequent couple of years, in accordance with a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The purported shift away from Lightning comes because the European Union appears to be like to mandate USB-C charging on new smartphones, tablets, and headphones launched within the area in late 2024. Whereas the laws nonetheless hasn’t but been signed into legislation, it received approval from the European Parliament final week.
To adjust to the upcoming guidelines, Gurman believes Apple may deliver USB-C to the next-gen AirPods, AirPods Professional, and AirPods by 2024, whereas Mac equipment, together with the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad might make the swap to USB-C as quickly as subsequent 12 months. Apple’s on account of refresh its Mac lineup with a brand new iMac and Mac Professional subsequent 12 months, and for the reason that launch of recent Macs usually “coincides with accent updates” Gurman says “it’s a secure wager that these equipment will transfer to USB-C of their subsequent incarnation.” Gurman equally believes Apple will swap over its AirPods earlier than the EU’s laws goes into impact.
Earlier this 12 months, a report from Gurman recommended that Apple has already started testing USB-C charging on its iPhones, however that we shouldn’t count on them to land on units till 2023 “on the earliest.” Gurman reiterates this perception on this most up-to-date Energy On e-newsletter, as soon as once more including that he thinks Apple will add a USB-C charging port to the iPhone 15, in addition to to the entry-level iPad expected to release by the tip of this 12 months.
As my colleague Jon Porter points out, Apple technically wouldn’t must adjust to the EU’s upcoming legislation till it releases the iPhone 17 within the fall of 2025, as there’s a two-year grace interval that permits firms (particularly, Apple) sufficient time to make the transition to USB-C. Regardless of this, Gurman thinks Apple will “handily beat the due date with its most seen merchandise.”
Even when Apple does make the transition to utilizing USB-C, Gurman expects its presence on Apple units to be short-lived. Gurman believes that Apple will finally deliver inductive charging to the iPhone and iPad “in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent few years” to get across the laws, because it doesn’t apply to units that don’t help wired charging.
