The company's marketing director acknowledged that Apple will be required to abide by a European Union legislation that stipulates electronic gadgets have a universal charging interface, known as USB-C.
Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of global marketing, said at The Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference on Tuesday, "Obviously we'll have to comply."
The single charger rule received final approval from EU member state ministers on Monday, which means that by 2024, all electronic products, including smartphones and tablets, must accept USB-C charging.
The measure, which has been in the works for around ten years, was approved by various EU legislative bodies before receiving the seal of approval from the European Council.
The measure, which has been in the works for around ten years, was approved by various EU legislative bodies before receiving the seal of approval from the European Council.
The iPhone utilizes Apple's exclusive Lightning charger. The iPhone would have to support USB-C under the future EU rule.
While Joswiak does not provide a release date, it would need to occur by 2024 if Apple were to include USB-C in its flagship smartphone.
that Apple is expected to deploy the standard internationally, not just in the European Union, and that iPhones slated for sale in 2023 may be equipped with USB-C charging.
As users won't need to buy a new charger every time they buy a gadget, EU legislators claim the regulations would cut waste. According to the EU, this will lower the manufacturing and disposal of new charges.
Joswiak attacked the EU for the charging law while acknowledging that there had been "a little bit of a dispute" between the two parties.
We believe that a less prescriptive approach would have been better for the environment and for our clients, he added.