EU just passed a new law that says Apple must offer USB-C charging on iPhones, but the company seems determined to do things its own way. A new rumor from this month says that Apple could put an IC chip in the iPhone’s USB C port. This would make it impossible to charge the iPhone with any USB C cable.
Even though it might sound strange, Apple is likely to only let MFI certified cables charge the iPhone.
The news comes from a source we don’t know, but it doesn’t surprise us that Apple is working on something similar. After all, the company has a strong history of keeping its ecosystem closed, and even if Apple has to give in and let iPhones charge with USB C, it can easily change the hardware so that not all USB C cables can charge iPhones.
Apple has a habit of making people buy its own accessories, and in some cases, it says that if you use a third-party adapter or cable and something goes wrong, the warranty won’t cover it. Apple’s interest in accessories is clear: a lightning-to-headphone-jack adapter costs around Rs 900, and a cleaning cloth costs more than $10.
But if Apple does make this restrictive decision, it could face more scrutiny from EU lawmakers since the order to use USB-C on the iPhone was meant to unify the charging ecosystem across platforms and make it easy for consumers to use one cable to charge all their mobile devices. Apple has already come to terms with the fact that iPhones will have to use USB C, which is likely to happen with the iPhone 15 series in 2023.
Other countries are also working on similar rules, which could mean that all iPhones sold in all markets will have the new charging technology. This should let Apple speed up charging and make the cables last longer.
