Apple is one of the wealthiest companies in the world due to its brand loyalty and image. Being an Apple consumer, it is important to stay up to date on the newest changes to their products and software. Apple’s iPhone has been notorious for having a different charging port than any other device on the market. This has been a large issue that consumers hold with the company. This year however Apple is finally agreeing to use the same charging cable as Android phones. Apple is switching the iPhone charging port to USB-C which will become the universal standard for all handheld devices. The reason that Apple has agreed to switch is because of the major pressure they have been facing from the EU. The EU has mandated that all handheld devices must be sold with a USB-C charging port. Because of the mandate Apple has agreed to change its entire product line, including the iPhone, into USB-C compatible.  This will be a major change for Apple as it could have quite an effect on their sales as a company.

The change in the charging cable will mean a few things for Apple the first of which is sales. Now that iPhone will be charged with a USB-C, there will be many alternatives for cable shopping. Apple makes good money selling chargers because they are different from every other device, but now that the majority of devices are running on the same cable they could see a decrease in sales as consumers choose the cheaper option.

A challenge that Apple might face is in its sale of older iPhone models. The EU might prohibit the sale of older iPhone models because they do not have USB-C ports. When a new iPhone is released the old models are quick to become obsolete. These old phones decrease in value and give people who do not have the means to purchase a $1000 phone the opportunity to enjoy Apple’s products. The sale of older models will still be available in other country’s, but we could see a decrease in the production of models that are one year prior to the newest versions.

On the consumer side there are benefits coming your way. The new USB-C chargers are quick. With the installation of USB-C we could see the device charge time drop drastically. One iPhone owner Jack Pokora seems excited about this prospect when he said “My biggest problem with iPhones is how long it takes to get a full charge. I want to be able to plug my phone in and have a full day’s charge in a few minutes.” Another benefit that consumers will have is the access to chargers. Now that all handheld devices will use USB-C there will be more chargers available for use because everyone will have one. We might also see the increase in charging station installations. Now that only one type of chord is needed to charge a multitude of devices, charging stations seem more fees-able for public locations. USB-C charges not only charge faster, but they transfer data at a higher rate. This will mean that 4k videos can be transferred via cable. Photos, videos, music, or documents will all transfer at lighting fast speeds adding to the customers convenience. We are all excited for the new change and hope that it will allow us to use our Apple devices to their maximum potential.