Apple is about to say goodbye to its proprietary Lightning connector to gradually switch to USB-C. A change that does not only affect its flagship product, the iPhone, but its entire catalog.
Precisely, in a tweet published this Wednesday, August 10, Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst, specialist in devices at the firm from Cupertino (California) and whose assumptions are usually correct, predicts “that Apple will launch charging cases compatible with USB-C “. for all AirPods models in 2023”. Disclaimer: It will not be a new generation of earphones, but simply a new charging case.
This change shouldn’t affect the AirPods Pro 2, which is scheduled to launch this fall. Not in vain, in the same tweet, Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that “the charging box of the new AirPods Pro 2 launched in the second half of 2022 could still support Lightning”. If the analyst does not mention the fate of the high-end headphones AirPods Max, released in 2020, the latter could benefit from an update with USB-C charging from 2023. The same goes for iPhones.
The End of the Charger War
Introduced in 2012 with the iPhone 5, the Lightning port is being pushed out by the popularity of USB-C and, above all, the pressure exerted by the European Parliament in favor of a universal connection for electronic devices. Thus, Apple has long been in the crosshairs of the European institutions that order it to use a charging system similar to that of its competitors.
Without success until the vote in the European Parliament, in February 2021, of a directive that requires USB-C to become the common charging system for all mobile phones, tablets, consoles and cameras within the European Union from autumn 2024. To the detriment of Apple, which opposed this measure.
However, this is good news for consumers, who will no longer have to juggle between different cable formats and will reap significant savings, as well as good news for the environment, as this measure should contribute to a considerable reduction in the production of electronic waste.
Source: BFM TV
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