iPhone 15 may be equipped with a USB-C port, but there’s a problem

Europe is tightening its grip on Apple, with the European Union passing a law mandating that all smartphone makers introduce smartphones with USB type-C charging ports by 2024. That will force Apple to finally move its iPhones to USB type-C ports instead of the Lightning ports that the company has been loyal to since the past decade. Now, an Apple executive has hinted in an interview that Apple will have to comply with the new EU law and that the iPhone 15 may indeed have a USB type-C port.

With the new EU law in place, Apple will have to let go of the Lightning connector for iPhones sold in 2024. While the Cupertino-based giant has explained its insistence on using Lightning on several occasions, Apple will have no choice but to comply with the new EU law if it plans to sell Apple iPhones in Europe in 2024 and beyond. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswick said Apple has no choice and will have to comply with the EU's order." Obviously we will have to comply, we have no choice," Joswaik was quoted as saying.

While the executive said Apple had no other choice but to switch to USB type-C, he expressed the company's view on the move. In the interview, Joswaik recalled that the European Union once wanted micro USB ports on Apple's iPhones. However, the marketing chief said that if Apple had complied with the order at the time, neither Lightning nor USB type-C would have been invented. He also said that moving the iPhone from Lightning to USB type-C would result in a lot of electronic waste.

Will iPhones with Type-C become designated regional versions?

While the move is expected by many, it's not necessarily the case that all iPhones around the world will switch to USB-C. When asked if Apple would switch to USB type-C in all markets, Joswick declined to comment. This hints that Apple may figure out a way to offer only USB type-C ports on its iPhone models in Europe, similar to what the company does in the U.S. with eSIM-only models.

Apple products such as MacBook laptops and Apple iPads have already transitioned to USB type-C. Only Apple iPhones and AirPods are mainstream Apple products that still use the Lightning port. A recent report had hinted that by next year, Apple accessories will all get USB type-C ports. The company's decision to put USB type-C ports on the iPhone is more of a business decision than a promotion of innovation.

While it's possible that Apple iPhones in the EU will get USB type-C ports starting with the iPhone 15, we'll have to wait and see if the company brings USB type-C ports to iPhones in all markets or just keeps them in Europe to avoid legal issues in the EU.