The European Parliament picked December 28, 2024 as date after which iPhone and all other handsets sold in the EU must have a USB-C port. That means the iPhone 17 in 2025 will definitely not include a Lightning port.
But unconfirmed reports say Apple will make the change earlier than that.
★★★★☆
If you ever work on the road, you know relying on your laptop for sound can be as disappointing as relying on it instead of an external display for visuals. Not every laptop has great — or even good — speakers.
Enter Edifier and its MF200 Portable Bluetooth Speaker. The company sent me one for review. The elegant little wedge-shaped soundbar can add plenty of power and clarity to “meh” laptop speakers.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the MF200 blows away all laptop speakers, as I’ll explain below.
An Apple executive confirmed that iPhone will drop the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. It’s a change being forced by the European Parliament, and Apple VP Greg Joswiak says the company won’t try to get around the new regulation.
Until now, it could only be assumed iPhone would give up Lightning.
Your MacBook isn’t charging right and you can’t figure it where the problem is? Plugable’s USBC-VAmeter3 can help. Connect it to the power cable running to your Mac, iPad or iPhone to see the voltage, wattage and amperage.
I’m no electrical engineer, but I tested this miniature power meter. I found it both useful and kind of fun.
The European Parliament voted in an overwhelming majority Tuesday to enforce USB-C as the standard charging port across a wide range of consumer electronics. The law will come into effect by the end of 2024.
With the legislation passed, Apple has a couple of years to complete the transition of its product lineup to USB-C. The company continues to use the Lightning port on iPhone and some accessories for charging purposes.
Today is the 10th anniversary of the Lightning connector. It was once the best option but has since outlived its usefulness. This obsolete port needs to go.
Apple knows what the replacement needs to be. It should stop dragging its feet and make the change.
Displays aren’t just going up from 4K to 5K and beyond, they’re also taking new forms. Today’s featured setup is the first we’ve seen with the recently released LG DualUp monitor in real-world use. It features an unusual 16:18 aspect ratio. Here it’s paired with an older LG display and a Mac Studio.
And this setup also includes Steve Jobs. Play some “Where’s Steve?” (not Waldo) and see if you can spot him.
Apple products are shifting from Cupertino’s proprietary Lightning connectors to USB-C, but the switch may not be in the cards for the second generation of AirPods Pro, expected to ship before the end of the year.
Or so said a prominent analyst Tuesday, anyway.
Brazil is considering forcing smartphone manufacturers to adopt a standard charging port on all their devices. The move comes in the wake of the European Union ruling mandating the use of USB-C for charging phones, tablets, headphones, and other accessories.
US Senators are also urging a common charging standard on smartphones to reduce e-waste.
The budget iPad will reportedly be the next Apple device to dump the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. The tenth tablet in this series might also have a larger screen, a faster processor and optional 5G.
The upcoming device is expected to debut this fall.
