Apple's first USB-C iPhone could be the iPhone 16
It's happening, Apple may be forced into to the USB-C era kicking and screaming indeed. This Thursday, September 23, the European Commission will announce a legislative proposal for a common charging standard on all electronic devices, claims one EC official for Politico.
This will affect manufacturers other than Apple, of course, but all they'll have to do is harmonize their fast charging standards via interoperable software, whereas Apple would be forced to also replace the Lightning port on its iPhones with a standard USB-C fare.
For that matter, the European Commission will be fine with Apple's 2020 decision not to put chargers in the iPhone boxes, as it wants manufacturers to give their customers the choice to use their old chargers, thus reducing electronic waste.
So, when will Apple be forced to switch to USB-C charging ports, at least in Europe? Well, the proposal presented by the European Commission will first have to be voted and accepted in the span of about a year, then nation states will have another year to make it into laws.
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