According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, all three AirPods models and Mac accessories like Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad could transition to USB-C by 2024.
Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved a new directive forcing manufacturers to offer USB-C as a universal charging port to a wide range of devices in Europe by the end of 2024. In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has been preparing to make changes to its devices to meet these new legal requirements.
Gurman believes that Apple will launch most of its products by the end of 2024, past the filing date of the legislation. He claims that the iPhone 15 will be a year ahead of EU requirements and come with a USB-C port in the fall of 2023. The entry-level iPad is the only one still with a Lightning connector, which should be by the end of the year.
Gurman speculates that if Apple releases a new iPhone SE model with a Lightning port instead of a USB-C port in March 2024, it will be in compliance with EU law, as it will be launched before the end of the year — but any new “” iPhone SE” 2025 or 2026 models will require USB-C.
Gurman noted that all AirPods models, as well as Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad, will need to switch when new versions are released. He expects several major Mac updates next year, including a new iMac and Mac Pro, and said “people might think this move coincides with an accessory update.”
While Apple’s product lineup is all moving to USB-C, Gurman said he thinks the USB-C era will be much shorter than the 30-pin iPod connector or Lightning, “at least for Apple’s mobile devices.” The iPod connector and Lightning will be obsolete on new Apple devices for about 11 years, and Gurman still believes “Apple’s future is wireless, and some version of the AirPower dream that was canceled in 2017 will still eventually come true — as far as ten years away. Years later.”
“At some point in the next few years,” Apple may begin transitioning entirely to inductive charging on iPhones and iPads, a move that largely frees those devices from EU law mandating the inclusion of USB-C ports.
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Hazel Yu 
