It’s been widely reported that future iPhones will have to switch to USB-C instead of Lightning, at least in Europe, due to a new European Union legislation. While this is true, and the likely outcome, it’s not only affecting iPhones. The legislation targets tablets as well, which means that the entry-level iPad needs to move from Lightning to USB-C. It’s the last iPad model on sale that isn’t using USB-C, so this shouldn’t be such a big loss for Apple. After all, USB-C is the primary connector for iPads, still.
This is why I’m having a hard time swallowing those rumors of a new entry-level iPad, with 5G and a better screen, but the same form factor and, thus, charging solution as the current generation. That, and the fact that Apple launched the current iPad model fairly recently (late last year), it should stick around a while longer. Or maybe they figured, hey, we need to clear out these old parts while we can. Time will tell, as it were.
I, for one, am excited for USB-C across the board. It’s a mess, in a way because the same connector can’t always do the same thing. Sometimes there’s Thunderbolt, sometime’s it’s just USB, and so forth. This is clearly not good for consumers, but you know what is? Not having to carry around multiple cables and adapters. So, there’s that.
The legislation is scheduled to hit sometime autumn 2024, and will obviously not affect devices released before then. Apple can hawk Lightning charging solutions a while longer.
