Apple speaks out against European proposal for universal charging standard

Apple opposes the European Parliament’s proposal to mandate a universal charging standard. According to the manufacturer, such rules can hinder progress and stopping Lightning leads to more waste.

Apple tells the BBC that it has shipped more than a billion devices with a Lightning connector and millions of accessories with the interface. Mandatory shutdown would “disrupt hundreds of millions of active devices and accessories from our European customers.” The manufacturer reports that this would lead to an ‘unparalleled amount of electronic waste’. Apple started using Lightning in 2012, but also uses USB-C, for example with MacBooks and the latest iPad Pro.

In addition, the company states that if a requirement for the use of micro-USB had been introduced in Europe in 2009, this would have hindered technological progress. According to Apple, the market is already moving towards USB-C, whether or not via adapters and cables, and there is no need for regulation.

Last week, the European Parliament called for mandating a general-purpose charger for all mobile phones, tablets, ebook readers and other portable devices. This should reduce waste and increase the user-friendliness of devices. In 2014, the European Commission pushed for voluntary agreements between manufacturers in this area, but according to the European Parliament, these have produced insufficient results. For example, Apple supplied a dongle but it stayed with Lightning.