Apple could bring USB-C to AirPods and Mac accessories by 2024

Apple’s preparing to follow USB-C charging crossed its enactment of AirPods and Mac accessories wrong the adjacent mates of years, according to a study from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The purported displacement distant from Lightning comes arsenic the European Union looks to mandate USB-C charging connected caller smartphones, tablets, and headphones released successful the portion successful precocious 2024. While the authorities inactive hasn’t yet been signed into law, it received approval from the European Parliament past week.

To comply with the upcoming rules, Gurman believes Apple mightiness bring USB-C to the next-gen AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods by 2024, portion Mac accessories, including the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad could marque the power to USB-C arsenic soon arsenic adjacent year. Apple’s owed to refresh its Mac lineup with a caller iMac and Mac Pro adjacent year, and since the merchandise of caller Macs typically “coincides with accessory updates” Gurman says “it’s a harmless stake that those accessories volition determination to USB-C successful their adjacent incarnation.” Gurman likewise believes Apple volition swap implicit its AirPods earlier the EU’s authorities goes into effect.

Earlier this year, a study from Gurman suggested that Apple has already started investigating USB-C charging connected its iPhones, but that we shouldn’t expect them to onshore connected devices until 2023 “at the earliest.” Gurman reiterates this content successful this astir caller Power On newsletter, erstwhile again adding that helium thinks Apple volition adhd a USB-C charging larboard to the iPhone 15, arsenic good arsenic to the entry-level iPad expected to release by the extremity of this year.

As my colleague Jon Porter points out, Apple technically wouldn’t person to comply with the EU’s upcoming instrumentality until it releases the iPhone 17 successful the autumn of 2025, arsenic there’s a two-year grace play that allows companies (namely, Apple) capable clip to marque the modulation to USB-C. Despite this, Gurman thinks Apple volition “handily bushed the owed day with its astir disposable products.”

Even if Apple does marque the modulation to utilizing USB-C, Gurman expects its beingness connected Apple devices to beryllium short-lived. Gurman believes that Apple volition yet bring inductive charging to the iPhone and iPad “at immoderate constituent successful the adjacent fewer years” to get astir the legislation, arsenic it doesn’t use to devices that don’t enactment wired charging.