This week the European Commission (European Commission) announced a new policy to reduce e-waste, requiring all smartphones to use USB-C charging ports, which shakes the foundation of Apple’s iPhone smartphone ecosystem.
Apple, which has always emphasized environmental protection and is committed to changing packaging and reducing plastics, said this time that this EU policy will cause inconvenience to iPhone users and generate a lot of electronic waste.
However, the fact is that Apple may only want to control the cost of selling iPhone accessories and the control of the iPhone ecosystem.
Apple has not introduced an iPhone with a USB-C charging port. Earlier, Apple argued to the European Commission, “This legislation will have a direct negative impact because it will affect hundreds of millions of active devices and accessories that our European customers and even more Apple customers around the world are using, and generate an unprecedented amount of e-waste. The user has caused great inconvenience.”
Although Apple iPad and Macbook are compatible with USB-C charging ports, Apple said that changing the mobile phone charging port to USB-C would be more wasteful than continuing to use the Lightning port, because customers need to purchase new charging cables and chargers .
Apple is only worried about losing control of MFi certification
It is worth noting that Apple’s list of views does not mention the fact that removing the Lightning port on the iPhone will not only create more e-waste, nor will it cause inconvenience to customers. This just means that Apple will lose the revenue related to the sale of Lightning port power cords, and it will lose control over iPhone hardware.
Apple MFi certification means that if you want to plug any accessories, including cables, chargers, etc., to the iPhone, you must pass Apple’s certification. Apple will also draw money from each certified peripheral.
Want to connect an external monitor? Need to pass Apple MFi certification. Want to import photos and videos from SD card or USB flash drive? Also need to pass Apple MFi certification. Want to use a digital converter to listen to the latest high-resolution lossless music from Apple’s music service? Still need to pass Apple MFi certification.
This is not the case with Apple devices compatible with USB-C ports. USB-C-based devices have a strong ecosystem that can be widely compatible with almost all products that use USB-C ports. For the iPad compatible with the USB-C port, users can directly plug in a flash drive, keyboard, monitor, and any external devices. Apple even emphasized this point when it released the new iPad Mini. Users can also use any USB-C power cord to charge iPad compatible with USB-C ports.
The European Commission’s regulations could theoretically have the same effect on the iPhone, forcing Apple to introduce an iPhone compatible with the USB-C port.
The solution: there is no port at all
But this new change may mean that Apple will switch to an iPhone that has no ports at all. In this way, Apple can completely circumvent the European Commission’s requirements for the use of USB-C ports and attract customers to use the company’s proprietary charging method.
This is Apple’s obvious solution, and it’s actually a loophole in EU policy. The fact is that if Apple is not going to earn the cost of accessories and control of the iPhone ecosystem, there is no point in releasing an iPhone without a port.
Switching to USB-C naturally makes sense. Except for Apple’s iPhone, almost all other major technology products, including Apple’s new MacBook and iPad, are compatible with USB-C ports. Among the devices that use dedicated charging ports, the iPhone may be the most popular product in the world. Switching to the USB-C port will simplify the charging equipment for millions of iPhone users around the world. Compared with the Lightning port, USB-C also has the same water resistance, data transmission and charging speed.
If the European Commission allows Apple’s iPhone to continue to use the Lightning port, it will only be frustrating for some people who want to unify the standards for mobile phone charging ports. After all, the Lightning port is a mature ecosystem. Millions of users already have data cables in their hands, and they also have fast data transmission and charging speeds. Like the USB-C port, the Lightning port is also waterproof, and Apple can also get considerable MFi certification fees and ecosystem control from it.
However, if the portless iPhone, which relies on wireless charging standards such as MagSafe, becomes a reality, it will really trouble consumers. This will force millions of consumers to replace with new wireless chargers and generate tons of electronic waste in the process. The result is only a charging and data transmission system with slower data transmission speed and lower charging efficiency, and at the same time larger and bulkier than Lightning or USB-C port systems.
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