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Apple’s entire iPhone 15 range will ship with USB-C, a long-awaited move that will see the end of the Lightning port. But now we know Apple is in hot water even before the phones are released.
Recent leaks claim that Apple is planning to restrict the phone’s USB-C charging and data transfer speeds for all cables that are not certified through its Made for iPhone (MFi) program. In response, the European Union has threatened to ban the sale of iPhones in member countries.
The news comes via Die Zeit, which states that EU Industry Commissioner, Thierry Breton, contacted Apple saying “Devices that do not meet the requirements for the uniform charger are not approved on the EU market.” Last month, the EU Parliament’s Internal Market Committee Chair, Anna Cavazzini, also accused Apple of trying to break EU law with the limitations.
While this stance makes sense, it is also one Apple can ignore. The EU’s new laws for common charger regulation were passed in October 2022 but do not come into force until December 2024, and apply only to devices released after that date. As such, Apple could release the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 — both likely for September launches in 2023 and 2024, respectively — with restricted USB-C or even Lightning, should it wish.
showing the new USB-C port9to5Mac, Ian Zelbo
Despite this, Apple appears keen to get ahead of EU Law. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal in October, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said the company would comply with the change and leak after leak — including detailed schematics and CAD files — have shown all iPhone 15 models feature a USB-C port.
Apple is also likely to offer different data transfer rates across the range, with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus limited to USB 2.0 speeds (480 megabits per second) while iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models will support Thunderbolt 3 (40 gigabits / 40,000 megabits per second). Pros may also support output to monitors at 4K with more features coming in iOS 17.
Aside from USB-C, the iPhone 15 range will also have a curvier design with a periscopic zoom camera, new Action button and potential price hikes for Pro models. That said, it looks like USB-C will be the main talking point.
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MORE FROM FORBESLatest iPhone 15 Pro CADs Show Action Button Replaces Mute SwitchBy Gordon Kelly
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I am an experienced freelance technology journalist. I have written for Wired, The Next Web, TrustedReviews, The Guardian and the BBC in addition to Forbes. I began in b2b print journalism covering tech companies at the height of the dot com boom and switched to covering consumer technology as the iPod began to take off.
A career highlight for me was being a founding member of TrustedReviews. It started in 2003 and we were repeatedly told websites could not compete with print! Within four years we were purchased by IPC Media (Time Warner’s publishing division) to become its flagship tech title.
What fascinates me are the machinations of technology’s biggest companies. Got a pitch, tip or leak? Contact me on my professional Facebook page. I don’t bite.
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