We’ve been driving around for years reasons, or lack thereof, why Apple won’t complete the jump to USB-C. And any argument that the company has been able to make in the past to defend the merits of its own system against this standard is somewhat moot now that those from Cupertino decide to do without the Lightning port on all iPad models. . If USB-C is good for tablets, why isn’t it good for smartphones and headphones?

In any case, this conversation/discussion has an expiration date, in just over two years. And as we told you a few months ago, a single charger will soon become a reality in Europe. Now only the last formalities remain, to take place between September and October, and then a two-year period that will be given to manufacturers to adapt to this new standard. From then on, iPhones and AirPods will no longer be able to use Lightning as a charging port.

Although this standard applies to all manufacturers of this type of device, the truth is that the vast majority of them have already adopted USB-C in the past, so they will not have to worry about anything. So you could almost say that when it comes to smartphones, The European Union created this regulation specifically with Apple in mind and on the iPhone. Maybe on the market dumbphones Various charging ports can still be found, but in the smartphone ecosystem, the presence of USB-C is practically universal.

It’s already got us wondering how Apple would respond to this regulatory challenge, and the truth is, it doesn’t have many options. The first, and undoubtedly more logical, would be to adopt the new standard and then replace the USB-C Lightning port on iPhones and AirPods. It would be the most logical, I say, but this does not necessarily mean that it will be the option chosen by Apple. And even less if there is another that can be more profitable.

It’s been ringing for a long time the possibility that Apple decides to remove the charging and data port from the iPhone, making it a 100% wireless device with inductive charging. And according to what we can read on ZDNet, the popular and generally correct analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it is possible that Apple will decide to delay the implementation of USB-C for as long as possible. In the case of AirPods, by the time, which would probably be 2024, release USB-C capable charging cases for all AirPods models, even those introduced and launched in 2023.

What about the iPhone? Even worse and more profitable. Opting exclusively for wireless charging, even if the phone is sold with such a charger, could be associated with the sale of chargers for different contextssuch as their equipment in cars (in which cable charging is still very common), special models for travel, etc.

Avoiding and/or delaying the adoption of USB-C would undoubtedly be a negative measure for users, but if market analysis and forecasts indicate that this model can be more profitable, we cannot rule out that this is finally the path that Apple will take. Hopefully not, but it will be a while before we find out..