Do you remember how recently the European Union had passed strict laws for tech companies and one such rule required them to use the universally accepted USB-Type C port on their smartphones? This forced companies such as Apple which is known for its lightning port to introduce the iPhone 15 series with a USB type-C port. Now it seems like the trend wasn’t limited to the European Union and other countries are closely following suit, including India.
According to a report by Reuters, India might soon be planning to implement the rule that requires smartphone companies to mandatorily use the universally accepted USB Type-C port just like the EU to save consumers money and reduce the environmental impact. And this isn’t just a thought right now, the Government of India is already in talks with various smartphone manufacturers. It plans on bringing in the implementation in the country by June 2025.
Also read: EU mandates Apple to allow 3rd party app stores and apps on its devices
During the discussion almost all smartphone manufacturers, including Samsung, seem to be okay with the move, except for one – Apple. Now see, Apple might have introduced the USB Type-C ports in its recent iPhone 15 series, but the previous generations still carry the lightning port.
The Indian smartphone market is a price-competitive one and older generations of the iPhone are quite popular. This is because when Apple launches a new iPhone series, the older generation becomes cheaper and people move to buy the older generations. Hence, Apple is not in favour of the move and is pushing against it.
Also read: Apple’s First Made-in-India iPhone 15 To Be Available Worldwide
For this, Apple asked India to exempt its older iPhone generations from the rule, apparently during a closed-door meeting with the IT Ministry on 28th November. It further said that it cannot change the design of its previous models and only if they are exempted can Apple meet the production targets set under India’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
According to the report, the ministry has said to have taken the request for a review. Let’s see how things turn out now.
