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All Devices Sold in the EU Will Now Be USB-C Compatible


Tuesday, December 31, 2024

If you're heading to the EU anytime soon, it’s unlikely you’ll have much trouble finding a USB-C charger. All small and medium-sized portable electronic devices (under 100 watts) sold in the EU must now be compatible with USB-C ports.

This means you’ll only need a USB-C charger for all new smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, and video game consoles sold across the 27-country bloc. However, the rules will not apply to laptops until April 28, 2026.

In October 2022, the European Parliament (EP) ruled that USB Type-C would become the new standard for portable devices for charging and data transfers. It gave most device makers two years to comply and said the rule would go into effect at the end of 2024.

Apple attempted to challenge the decision, given that it had long used its proprietary Lightning charging ports on iPads and iPhones. Two years earlier, as the EU considered the USB-C mandate, Apple said: "We believe regulation that forces conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, and would harm consumers in Europe and the economy as a whole."

When it lost that fight, Greg Joswiak, Apple's SVP of Marketing, begrudgingly admitted in 2022 that "we have no choice" but to embrace USB-C more widely. That happened last year when Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 lineup with USB-C.

Earlier this month, Apple removed the Phone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE from its EU online store to comply with the EU regulation, MacRumors reports.

Apple had slowly been embracing USB-C on other devices, starting with the MacBook almost a decade ago and expanding to its tablets with the 2018 iPad Pro. With the launch of the new M4 iMacs in October, Apple also released keyboards, mice, and trackpads that charge via the USB-C standard instead of Apple’s proprietary connector.

By: DocMemory
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