Image By: Solen Feyissa
It’s not a total surprise — Apple’s been preparing for the end of its special Lightning connector for some time. The company already uses the USB-C standard in some Macs and iPads and is reportedly testing iPhone models that swap out the Lightning port. But the law could put a fire under Apple’s designers to shift fully to USB-C and potentially finally kill the Lightning charger for good.
Enter your email to receive CNN’s nightcap newsletter.
You may be thinking, Finally! One charging cable for all my stuff!
And I hear you. We’ve all got that shoebox packed with every type of cable ever made (except for the one you need) collecting dust in the closet, and I, too, would like to confidently throw it in the garbage.
But the EU’s ruling is about a decade too late.
The environmental damage is done. We’ve all already bought the extra Apple Lightning chargers to ensure we never run out of juice on our iPhones and AirPods because we are a screen-addicted people who can’t stand the sound of our own thoughts. We can neither fall asleep nor wake up without our phones; we don’t know which route to take to work without an app’s guidance; I’ve heard of people who don’t fill every waking moment with a Spotify playlist or podcast in their ear, but I do not know, nor do I care to find out, how they manage it.
Apple hates the idea (shocker) because it argues it will slow innovation and render about a billion devices obsolete. But they’ve been testing new iPhone models with USB-C ports anyway, and I have no doubt that one of the world’s most valuable companies will be A-OK in figuring out how to wring more money from customers in the meantime.
Source: CNN Bussiness