Comment by akmarinov | Hacker News Reader

Comment by akmarinov | Hacker News Reader

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Currently Apple sells new iPhone 12s, a 3 year old "design".

Starting 2024, they'll have to only sell phones with USB-C in the EU.

Assuming the iPhone 15 has USB-C, where does that leave the previous generations that they keep selling for new?

Do they:

1. Stop selling anything but the 15 in the EU?

2. Make a change to all new iPhones, even 13, 14, SE to:

  2.1 Take out the port completely and leave it portless, with Magsafe for charging

  2.2 Change the 13, 14 and SE designs to USB-C just for the EU?

What costs them the least money and makes them the most?

Tesla appears to have no problem selling EVs with standard plugs in places where it’s mandatory.

(1) https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/14/tesla-model-3-in-europe...

I think Apple will find a way to say that the iPhone 12 was made before the law was enacted and therefore shouldn’t apply to this particular model.

I also think the iPhone 15 will be the one to have with USB-C. At the same time, they haven’t had too many problems to keep multiple SKUs of the same model - ie CDMA iPhone 4, mmWave only 5G phones in the US, eSIM only versions of later models.

From the text of the Proposal:

> With respect to charging by means other than wired charging, divergent solutions may be developed in the future, which may have negative impacts on interoperability, consumer convenience and the environment. Whilst it is premature to impose specific requirements on such solutions at this stage, the Commission should be able to take action towards harmonising them in the future, if fragmentation on the internal market is observed.

So they left the door open to regulate also Magsafe etc.

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