Former Apple VP Tony Fadell became known as “the father of the iPod.” Although he no longer has any ties with Apple, he often shares opinions on what the company has been doing. This time, Fadell shared his thoughts on the European Union’s requirement for iPhone with a USB-C port. The engineer believes that this is the “right thing” to do and that he now sees Apple in a monopolistic position.
Fadell thinks it’s time for USB-C iPhones
The discussion began with a Twitter user wondering if the iPod would be successful if Apple was forced to use USB 1.0 instead of the faster FireWire technology at the time. Fadell then responded by saying that the world “converged on USB-C” as the limits of older standards “have been hit,” but he went far beyond that in defending his point of view.
Apple’s former VP says he’s not worried about the EU forcing Apple and other smartphone makers to adopt USB-C and that “they’re simply forcing Apple to do the right thing.”
In another tweet, Fadell said that the regulation only happened because Apple is having a monopoly-like position. The engineer believes that some regulation and standardization in favor of consumers is necessary, since companies are not always interested in doing the “right thing for societies best interest.”
He also noted that forcing Apple to change the iPhone connector based on the environment argument is “much lot easier than a monopolistic legal trial.” Fadell then said that Apple doesn’t like third parties dictating what it should do. “This is coming from the guy who made the 30 pin connector happen,” he added.
Interestingly, one of his followers pointed out that Apple is against USB-C as the company makes “a lot of money” with the MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) program for certified accessories. Fadell, who was behind the invention of the program, suggests that he agrees with his follower.
What’s next for iPhone?
Back in June, the European Union reached a common agreement to make USB-C the standard connector for devices such as smartphones and tablets. This week, the EU passed final legislation mandating that, starting in 2024, every device sold in Europe that is charged via cable must have a USB-C port.
The law is based on the argument that having different standards is bad for customers and also for the planet, since this results in more electronic waste.
But the European Union is not alone when it comes to forcing Apple to adopt USB-C in the iPhone. The US Senate and Brazil’s telecom regulator have also been considering making USB-C mandatory for smartphones.
Currently, every Mac and almost every iPad sold by Apple already uses USB-C. However, iPhone and accessories such as AirPods still rely on the company’s proprietary Lightning connector. Lightning was introduced in 2012 as a better alternative to the Micro USB standard. However, Lightning is now outdated – and it may not last much longer.
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