Apple on Tuesday unveiled its iPhone 15 with a USB-C charging port, bowing to the European Union’s new rule mandating all device makers to switch to the charging port by 2024.
CNBC reported that by the time the event concluded, Apple had already commenced the sale of a USB-C adapter on its website, priced at $29.
This adapter will be essential for iPhone 15 customers who wish to connect their Lightning charging cables, which are used for current iPhones, to their new devices.
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The European Union parliament voted to confirm the rule last October. Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and others were expected to change their mobile device charging ports to USB-C before 2024 in Europe to comply with the rules.
Apple said last year that it was ready to comply with the rule by moving from its proprietary Lightning charger cables to the USB-C charging port.
“USB-C has become a universally accepted standard, so we’re bringing it to iPhone,” a presenter said during the Apple launch event Tuesday.
EU officials believe the rule will reduce waste since people will not need to buy a new charger when they purchase a new device.
Besides reducing waste, the EU Commission said last year that multiple ports cost consumers a fortune. The Commission has estimated that a single charger would save about €250m ($247.3 million) for consumers.
The transition to USB-C chargers for the iPhone 15 implies that the old Lightning cables previously used by Apple users will no longer be compatible. However, many individuals already possess the appropriate cables for their laptops, headphones, and other devices. Additionally, Apple is likely to include a compatible cable in the iPhone 15 packaging.
“Although Apple has a huge installed base of lightning cable-powered devices, the ubiquity of USB-C across all consumer electronics products means that harmonizing on USB-C makes perfect sense,” Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said last year while predicting that iPhone 15 will come with the USB-C charger.
The rule will also apply to laptops starting from 2026, providing manufacturers with more time to make the necessary adjustments, although many of them already utilize USB-C.
Following the event on Tuesday, Apple’s shares closed down by more than 1%.
In total, 13 categories of electronic devices are expected to adapt to the rule by 2024.
Apple, which launches its newest iPhone model Tuesday, is doubling down on a pricier strategy as unit sales slow. The iPhone 15 Pro, as well as its watches and AirPods, will come with features ranging from titanium cases to more advanced cameras. The price tags for these devices will also be higher, boosting sales at a time when restricted iPhone use in China threatens to depress revenue, along with slower unit sales globally. Apple’s launch event, to be held in Cupertino, California, begins at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
Qualcomm announced it will continue to supply modems for Apple iPhones — for now. Both the chipmaker and investors had expected Apple to make its own.
iPhone and iPad users are being urged to downloadan emergency software update to fix two security flaws used to install Pegasus spyware.
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Apple confirmed at its annual event Tuesday that the iPhone 15 will indeed feature a significant change: a universal USB-C charging port. Still, it’s clear Apple wants to keep its higher-end phones — which have become increasingly important to the company’s bottom line — at center stage. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are seeing some of the line’s most significant new features, with faster chips, lightweight titanium casing and (on the Pro Max only) a souped-up telephoto camera lens.
- The iPhone 15 will start at $799, while the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, both in line with their predecessors. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be $1,199 — $100 more than the 14 Pro Max.
- The Apple Watch Series 9 and new Apple Watch Ultra will also feature faster chips. Both products will be carbon-neutral, and Apple says all of its products will be carbon-neutral by 2030.
- While most of the new iPhones will be made in China, for the first time, some will also be made in India.
(LinkedIn News).