EU"s law mandating USB-C as the default charging port for all consumer electronic devices is all set to come into effect in January 2025. As such, Apple will stop selling the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 14 series in Europe starting next year. The European Union approved this law in 2022, giving brands until the end of 2024 to implement USB-C as the default charging port. Notably, this law also extends to laptops as well.
Apart from laptops and mobile phones, other devices that the new law will impact include digital cameras, headphones/headsets, keyboards, mice, handheld videogame consoles, portable speakers, etc. The new law will impact Apple the most since the company still sells devices with its proprietary lightning port. One of the countries with the most number of smartphone users, India, has also implemented the same law, which will come into effect in March 2025. This gives companies just over three months to introduce USB-C in their devices.
Currently, the oldest models with lightning ports that are sold directly from Apple"s official website include the third-generation iPhone SE and iPhone 14 series. The company has to stop selling these devices because starting next year, they will be in violation of the EU policy.
However, it shouldn"t be a big loss to the company or the users. Apple could have retired these devices, at least the iPhone SE 3 since the company is expected to debut the iPhone SE 4 with major upgrades. It is rumored that the iPhone SE 4 could launch in March 2025 and may feature a 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera, a 6.1-inch (LTPS) OLED display, A18 chipset, and it could be priced under $500.
Source: European Parliament via iGeneration