After EU governments and politicians agreed on Tuesday to a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets, and cameras, Apple will be required to replace the connector on iPhones sold in Europe by 2024.

After corporations failed to reach an agreement, the European Commission intervened, claiming that it would make customers’ lives easier and save them money.

For more than a decade, Brussels has advocated for a single mobile charging connector, in response to concerns from iPhone and Android users about having to switch between chargers.

Apple’s iPhones require Lightning cables to charge, but Android smartphones use USB-C connectors.

According to a 2019 Commission survey, half of the chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, 29 percent had a USB-C connector, and 21 percent had a Lightning connector.

“By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU,” the European Parliament said in a statement.

According to EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton, the agreement will save consumers approximately 250 million euros ($267 million).

“It will also allow new technologies such as wireless charging to emerge and to mature without letting innovation become a source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience,” he said.

There were no comments available from Apple on the issue, despite warning that the move would harm innovation and generate a pile of electronic waste.

“We are proud that laptops, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, computer mice, and portable navigation devices are also included,” said lawmaker Alex Agius Saliba who steered the debate at the parliament.

Laptops must comply with the legislation within 40 months of its implementation. In the future, the EU executive will have the authority to standardize wireless charging technologies.

The fact that the agreement includes e-readers, earbuds, and other technologies will have an impact on Samsung, Huawei, and other gadget producers.

(Adapted from DeccanHerald.com)

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