Having opposed the EU rule originally, Apple will now put positive spin on the USB-C switch

We are now less than a week and a half away from the introduction of the iPhone 15 series and thanks to the EU's desire to have a common charger for its electronic devices, the iPhone 15 series will drop the proprietary Lightning port, used since the iPhone 5 was released in 2012, and switch to USB-C. The EU expects the change to lead to less electronic waste and will be more convenient for consumers who have probably used USB-C on several consumer products.

For Apple, the change was forced on it since it wasn't cost-effective to offer USB-C-powered iPhone units in the EU and stick with Lightning ports everywhere else. As a result of the change, Apple will lose some of the revenue it collected from accessory manufacturers who paid Apple to produce MFi (Made For iPhone) certified cables. As noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in today's Power ON newsletter, the change to USB-C also impacts Apple in other ways.

Apple has had to spend money to revamp the charging port on the iPhone. From the company's viewpoint, because Android phones use USB-C for charging and data transfer, the tech giant is worried that with both the iPhone and Android handsets using the same charger, it will be just a bit easier for iPhone users to switch to the Android ecosystem. That might be overthinking things, but that is what Apple does.

The big thing for consumers to look out for is Apple's gaslighting. The company is bound to put a positive spin on a change that it didn't want to make and at first, Apple tried to fight the EU's ruling by pointing out that the change to USB-C might lead to the disposal of Lightning cables in landfills. And Apple's marketing chief, Greg Joswiak, said last year that allowing governments to have a say in product design was potentially harmful.

But as Gurman points out, whenever Apple makes a design change or introduces a new product, it wants to "operate from a position of strength." So as a result, Apple will only feed you the good things about the change, pointing out how more compatible the iPhone will be with other devices. And how switching to USB-C will help protect the environment from electronic waste. 

You can bet your bottom dollar that when the change is mentioned during the unveiling, there will be no mention of the EU or the complaints lodged by Apple when the EU first announced that its common charger rules had become official.

In case you were wondering, prior to the Lighting port, Apple used an unwieldy 30-pin cable and port on the iPhone and the iPad. Eventually, the goal is to have no ports at all for charging. We've already seen a quick look at what the future looks like with Apple's MagSafe magnetic wireless chargers.

This is not the end of the world by any means although for some iPhone owners, it could mean laying out the cash to buy a new charging brick. As Gurman points out, those who bought an iPhone 11 or earlier received a USB-2 charging brick in the box with their phones (yes, Virginia, phone manufacturers used to include a free charging adapter with the purchase of a new phone). 

Since these bricks are not compatible with  USB-C, if users plan to employ their older charging brick (from an iPhone 11 or earlier) with their new USB-C iPhone, they will have to use a cable that converts USB 2 to USB-C. Most people will probably just go ahead and buy a new adapter.

Apple has announced that it will introduce the iPhone 15 line on September 12th. Also joining the festivities will be the Apple Watch Series 9 and the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra. The fun and games start at 10 am PDT which is 1 pm EDT. You can view the livestream from Apple's website (www.Apple.com) or Apple's YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@apple).