No EU, Apple may not move to USB-C port with iPhone 15; here's why

Apple will now have to change the charger for iPhones from Lightning to USB-C as per the new rules by the European Union (EU). The company has until the autumn of 2024 to comply with the new rule, which mandates every OEM to introduce a single charging port for most electronic devices such as phones, tablets, and headphones, among others. iPhone 15 may get a USB-C charging port next year, however, this shift could “just be a stopgap until its [Apple’s] wireless future.”
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims in his weekly newsletter that Apple will probably begin moving entirely to inductive charging on the iPhone and iPad, matching the Apple Watch, in the next few years.Gurman also claims that Apple may soon find a technology that could charge its devices wirelessly. In 2019, Apple had to scrap the AirPower charging mat which was announced in 2017.
USB-C era could be short-lived
“I think the USB-C era will be far shorter-lived than the tenure of the 30-pin iPod connector or Lightning—at least for Apple’s mobile devices. I still believe that Apple’s future is wireless and that some version of the cancelled AirPower dream from 2017 will eventually come to fruition—well before a decade from now,” he said. It is to be noted that Apple used the 30-pin iPod connector and Lightning for roughly about a decade each.
Apple currently sells Lightning cables for the iPhone and AirPods, USB-C chargers for the iPad Pro (from 2018) and MacBook (from 2015), and MagSafe for the Apple Watch. Gurman says that iPhone 15 may get USB-C in 2023 and the entry-level iPad should get the port by the end of this year. Devices such as AirPods (Pro and Max), Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad will also have to make the switch.
EU mandates USB-C for all electronic devices
Last week, the EU made it mandatory for companies that make phones, tablets, cameras, headphones and headsets, e-readers, keyboards, mice, mobile navigation systems, portable game consoles and speakers to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024 for new products. The ruling also said that, by spring 2026, laptops should also get the USB-C charging port.
As per Gurman, Apple knows that the transition to USB-C port is better for consumers but it doesn’t want to “set a bad precedent” by publicly agreeing that “a government is guiding its product development plans. The company wants to be able to say that it decided to shift to USB-C for its own reasons.”