Apple comes to blows with the EU over the future of the Lightning connector

Graphic of EU vs. Apple boxing gloves
(Image credit: FreeVector.com, Future)

The days of Apple's Lightning connector look set to be numbered, as the European Union edges closer to mandating the USB Type-C standard as the only charging solution for low-power devices permitted in EU member states.

The idea has been around for years, but the rule was officially proposed by the European Commission (EC) in September 2021. Now an EU panel has backed the proposal, paving the way for an assembly vote in May and the directive to be potentially enacted by the end of the year. EU member states will then usually have two years to enact the rules into national law, and manufacturers will have 24 months to change their charging ports.

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Ben Andrews

Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.