USB-C to arrive on Apple devices by 2024; iPhone 15 to get next year

The iPhone 15 is expected to get USB-C in the fall of 2023, while Apple‘s other products, including AirPods, AirPods Pro and more, will arrive in 2024, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. Writing about the same in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said: “The iPhone 15 is essentially a lock to get USB-C in the fall of 2023.” Apple changed this mainly because of the European Union’s push for device manufacturers to unify around USB-C for interoperability and environmental benefits.

According to the newsletter, “This past week, the EU took another step in that direction with a law that requires makers of many devices—phones, tablets, cameras, headphones and headsets, e-readers, keyboards, mice, mobile navigation systems, and portable game consoles and speakers—to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024 for new products. This will extend to laptops in spring 2026. Though lawmakers approved the EU regulation in June, the European Parliament signed off on it this past Tuesday, sealing the deal for the law to take effect in about two years.”

It further reported that Apple publicly rejected the change, saying last year that “strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.” Internally Apple has been preparing for the law.

Gurman said that the remaining iPads without USB-C (the entry-level model) should receive the port by the end of this year. That leaves AirPods, Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad as the only devices that will eventually need to make the switch.

He added, “I don’t think Apple will take that long to bring USB-C to all of its devices, though. I’d bet the next versions of the regular AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max all move to USB-C, and that transition should be done by 2024. I’m expecting major Mac updates, including a new iMac and Mac Pro, next year. One could probably assume that move coincides with accessory updates. Given that Mac accessory changes are few and far between, I think it’s a safe bet that those accessories will move to USB-C in their next incarnation.”