Apple has stopped the sale of the iPhone SE, the iPhone 14 and a large series of products in Europe. The reason is very simple, these were the last products equipped with a proprietary Lightning charging port. This rapid action comes in conjunction with the entry into force yesterday of EU Directive 2022/2380, which aims to reduce electronic waste and standardize charging standards by adopting USB-C.
A check carried out by The Verge, and also verified by us in the early hours of this morning, clearly shows that iPhone SE, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, the Magic Keyboard, the Magic Mouse, the Magic Trackpad and even refurbished Airpods Max with Lightning porthave been removed from Apple’s online stores in countries including Italy, the Netherlands, France, Norway and Germany. However, these devices remain available in the United States and other countries outside the 30 member states of the European Economic Area.
The EU directive harmonizes charging standards to reduce electronic waste and does not authorize the sale of products with different charging standards.
However, the USB-C/Lightning charging cables remain the proprietary Lightning to USB-C adapterin such a way as to allow the products currently in the hands of consumers to be aligned with the European standard.
The directive, which came into full force yesterday, 28 December 2024, requires the adoption of USB-C ports for a wide range of devices sold in the EU. It also mandates support for the USB PD standard for fast charging, allows chargers to be sold separately, and improves labeling to inform consumers about device power requirements.
Apple is rumored to be making a new iPhone SE with USB-C portand multiple other improvements like an OLED display, scheduled for release in 2025 and which will fill the current hole left within the company’s smartphone lineup. This product will mark the definitive abandonment of the Lightning connector by the Cupertino company on all their devices, thus completely aligning with European regulations.
Source: www.tomshw.it
