MacRumors

It's hard to believe, but today marks the 20th birthday of MacRumors, which was founded on February 24, 2000, with articles starting just a few days later.

While longtime readers may be familiar with the site's origins, there are plenty of others who are unaware that it began as a hobby while our founder Arnold Kim was a medical student, and it remained a side project for over eight years until he decided to give up medicine to focus on MacRumors as a full-time career. That backstory and additional perspective were shared in a July 2008 New York Times article.

I officially joined MacRumors on January, 1, 2009, but I had served as a volunteer forum staff member and occasional writer for several years prior and had been a regular reader almost since the site's debut. Over that time, I saw MacRumors grow from a niche aggregator of news about a beloved company looking to raise itself from the dead to the behemoth it is today, riding the wave of one hit product after another with the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and more.

Through the years, we've added additional writers, editors, and other staff members, with the team now numbering roughly a dozen dedicated folks who live and breathe Apple news and rumors.

We've covered plenty of major Apple news stories over the years, and here are just a few of the biggest ones:

• October 2001: Apple's New Thing (iPod)
• June 2003: PowerMac G5: World's Fastest Desktop Computer
• August 2004: New iMac G5 Announced
• June 2005: Macintosh Moving to Intel Processors
• January 2006: Apple Releases the MacBook Pro
• January 2007: Apple Announces the iPhone
• January 2008: Apple Announces MacBook Air
• January 2010: Apple Tablet Media Event: "Come See Our Latest Creation"
• April 2010: Apparent Next-Generation iPhone Gets a Thorough Hands-On
• October 2011: Steve Jobs Has Passed Away
• September 2014: Apple Announces Apple Watch, Available in Early 2015 From $349
• September 2016: Apple Debuts Wireless 'AirPods' With 5 Hours of Music Playback

And don't forget about the MacRumors Buyer's Guide, which has been providing at-a-glance buying recommendations based on Apple's product release schedules for 17 years now.

It's been a long ride, and we certainly couldn't have done it without our loyal readers and forum members. For two decades now, MacRumors has been known for its active and passionate community that has itself reached nearly a million registered members and over 27 million forum posts. If you're not a member, we invite you to register for our forums and add your voice to our community.

To all of you who have helped make MacRumors what it is today, thank you, and here's to another 20 years.

Apple's first Mac with a processor designed in house is set to be released during the first half of 2021, Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo said in a note to investors this morning that was obtained by MacRumors.

There are no other details provided about the new Mac that's in the works, but the detail confirms multiple past rumors that have suggested Apple is working on custom Arm-based processors designed in-house that would allow it to transition away from Intel. Over the years, Apple's product releases have been stymied by Intel chip delays, and with its own chips, Apple will not be tied to Intel chip release cycles.

Earlier information indicated Apple could begin using Arm-based chips as soon as 2020, but Kuo's note indicates a new Mac with an Apple-designed chip won't be released this year.

Apple is said to be moving to Arm-based chips in an effort to make Macs, iPhones, and iPads work together and run the same apps. Apple's iPhones and iPads already use Arm-based chip technology, and there are custom Apple-created T2 chips in the iMac Pro and recent MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Mac Pro models.

Kuo's detail about an upcoming Mac with an Apple-designed chip is a tidbit mentioned briefly in a note that suggests 5-nanometer chip architecture will be the "core technology" in Apple's new products in the next 12 to 18 months.

We expect that Apple's new products in 12-18 months will adopt processors made by 5nm process, including the new 2H20 5G iPhone, new 2H20 iPad equipped with mini LED, and new 1H21 Mac equipped with the own-design processor. We think that iPhone 5G support, iPad's adoption of innovative mid-size panel technology, and Mac's first adoption of the own-design processor are all Apple's critical product and technology strategies. Given that the processor is the core component of new products, we believe that Apple had increased 5nm-related investments after the epidemic outbreak. Further, Apple occupying more resources of related suppliers will hinder competitors' developments.

The new Mac with Apple-designed chip, the 2020 5G iPhone, and a high-end iPad with a mini LED display rumored for the second half of 2020 are said to use 5-nanometer chips. Chips built on a 5-nanometer node will be faster and more efficient than the A13 chips used in the most recent iPhones that are built on a 7-nanometer+ process.

Apple is said to have become "more aggressive" when it comes to research, development, and production for 5-nanometer chip technology, ramping up investments to reduce uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China.

The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear Apple's appeal of a $440 million judgment in one of the patent infringement cases brought by VirnetX a decade ago, reports Reuters.

VirnetX was originally awarded $302 million back in October 2016 in the dispute over VPN-related patents, but Apple appealed the ruling multiple times, and with interest and other costs tacked on, the judgment was later increased to $440 million.

Apple argued on appeal that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had canceled "key parts" of several of the patents involved in the case, but the courts rescinded that cancelation. Apple continued to appeal the case all the way to the Supreme Court, but the court has opted not to intervene, leaving Apple on the hook for the $440 million judgment.

The case is one of two Apple has been embroiled in with VirnetX over the years. In the other case, VirnetX was initially awarded $502 million but the infringement ruling was partially overturned late last year and the case was sent back a lower court to determine a new amount for damages. Apple attempted to contest the validity of the remaining two patents at issue, but just two weeks ago, the court denied a rehearing on that aspect of the case.

In a report touching on several topics today, Japanese site Mac Otakara claims that Apple's Tile-like "AirTags" item trackers will be "completely waterproof" and use similar magnetic wireless charging to that seen on the Apple Watch.

Evidence of AirTags has been found in builds of iOS 13 since last summer, and it appears the small item trackers will show up in the Find My app and enable users to locate misplaced items. With ultra wideband support found in the iPhone 11 lineup and augmented reality, it looks like AirTags could offer high precision and direct the user straight to an item, even pinpointing it within a room.

We're not sure when to expect AirTags to launch, but it looks like it may not be imminent yet, as noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said just last week that production isn't expected to ramp up until the second or third quarter, and today's report from ‌Mac Otakara‌ claims an announcement in the fall of this year, which would likely be alongside new iPhones in September.

Apple's next iPhone series may support a new Wi-Fi standard known as IEEE 802.11ay, according to Japanese blog Mac Otakara.

802.11ay is the follow-up of IEEE 802.11ad, quadrupling the bandwidth and adding up to 4 streams of multiple transmission/reception. The new Wi-Fi spec, which uses the 60GHz spectrum, is still in the draft phase but is expected to be finalized by the end of 2020.

The translated report is quite difficult to decipher, but the blog calls the wireless standard "ultra-short range," which suggests it could be used to communicate between iPhones (i.e. AirDrop) and perhaps other Apple devices in close proximity.

Interestingly, a 2018 report claimed that Apple has been working on an AR/VR headset that would be untethered from either a computer or a smartphone and instead connect to a "dedicated box" using the 802.11ay wireless standard. The box was said to be powered by a custom 5-nanometer Apple processor similar to the custom chips that Apple will use in future Macs.

Connecting the two rumors is pure speculation at this point, but it's interesting to conceive of different scenarios where Apple uses the new Wi-Fi standard to enable next-generation wireless AR/VR experiences.

That said, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has claimed the company's AR roadmap will initially focus on the iPad and ‌iPhone‌ before any sort of headset comes to fruition.

In November, Gurman said Apple is working on "a range of augmented and virtual-reality devices" based around a new 3D sensor system, which will arrive first on a new iPad Pro slated for release in the first half of 2020, and followed by Apple's new iPhones later in the year.

Moving beyond existing devices, Apple is said to be targeting 2021 or 2022 for the release of a combination VR and AR headset focused on "gaming, watching video and virtual meetings."

Taiwan-based Innolux has won orders to supply Apple with mini-LED panels for a new iPad Pro due to launch later this year, according to a new report today.

Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports that the panel maker has already sent samples to Apple and has now won orders with the tech giant to supply them in bulk for the tablet, said to be launching in the second half of the year.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that Apple plans to release four to six products with mini-LED displays over the next two to three years, including a high-end 12.9-inch ‌‌iPad Pro‌ set for launch in the third quarter of 2020‌.

Kuo has said the mini-LED displays will "significantly improve productivity and the entertainment experience," and will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including higher contrast ratio, higher brightness, and deeper blacks.

LG Display and General Interface Solution (GIS) will be the other significant benefactors of these mini-LED products, according to Kuo. Previous reports claim Apple has contracted for related components with Epistar, Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology (TSMT), Zhen Ding Technology, and Flexium Interconnect.

Apple is widely rumored to refresh the ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ in spring 2020. If it does, another new 12.9-inch model in fall 2020 would certainly be an early addition to the range.

Mobile leaker Ben Geskin today shared images on Twitter purporting to be a case for the next-generation iPad Pro, which Apple is rumored to be launching sometime in the first half of this year.

There's a square cutout in the top corner of the case, suggesting the new ‌iPad Pro‌ might have a square-shaped camera setup modeled after the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. A hole for the microphone is visible on one side, and there are gaps for the standby button and USB-C port.

Aside from that, not much can be gleaned from the photos, and we have no way to verify if it's actually a case designed for the 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌. The new ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ models are said to feature the same dimensions as the 2018 ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ models, and based on renders, the design will also be close to identical with the exception of a triple-lens camera.

There were some rumors indicating Apple would release new ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ models in 2019, but that didn't happen, and current information from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests Apple plans to release an ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ update during the first half of 2020, perhaps sometime in March.

We've already seen dummy models said to be of the new ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ models, which featured a triple-lens camera, but those may not be entirely accurate when it comes to the camera design.

Kuo believes that the next ‌iPad Pro‌ update will come with upgraded Face ID, an A14X chip, and a rear-facing time-of-flight (ToF) camera system that would allow for 3D models to be captured using the ‌iPad Pro‌ and then edited with the Apple Pencil for an "all-new productivity experience."

The time-of-flight camera is expected to be a 2020 ‌iPhone‌ feature, so it's not entirely clear if Apple plans to put the time-of-flight functionality in the iPad as the company may first want to bring the feature to the ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

Apple's planned launch date for the ‌iPad Pro‌ could be pushed back due to production delays caused by the coronavirus outbreak in China, or if it launches on time, its supplies could be constrained.

Recent rumors indicate Apple is planning to hold an event on Tuesday, March 31, so if new ‌iPad‌ Pros are in the works for the first half of 2020 and aren't delayed, they could be announced at this event.

Kuo has also said that Apple plans to release an updated high-end 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display in the third quarter of 2020. If so, a new 12.9-inch model in fall 2020 would certainly be soon after.

Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, and had he not passed away in 2011 at the age of 56, today would have marked his 65th birthday. Jobs founded Apple alongside Steve Wozniak in 1976, and he was at the forefront of the personal computer revolution with machines like the Apple 1, Apple II, and the original Macintosh with its now-iconic name.

Jobs was ousted from Apple in 1985 after disagreements with then-CEO John Sculley, and after his departure, Apple struggled and was on the brink of failure. Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after his company, NeXT, was acquired, and he proceeded to lead the company to the wild success that it enjoys today.

Many of Apple's most important products were developed under Jobs' leadership, including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, the App Store, the MacBook, the iMac, and more. and his design philosophies and drive for perfection continue to shape Apple even nine years after his death.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has often said that Jobs' DNA - his taste, his thinking, his dedication to hard work, and his lust for innovation - will "always be the foundation of Apple."

There is not a single Apple product on the market that has not been influenced by Steve Jobs, and that even extends to many non-Apple products. Smartphones today look the way they do because Steve Jobs led the development of the all-screen no-keyboard ‌iPhone‌ in 2007.

Millions of lives have been improved by Apple devices, and Apple's iPhones, iPads, and Macs are some of the most popular products on the planet. Apple has more than 1.5 billion active devices around the world, which is astounding, and there are always new and exciting projects on the horizon.

New iPhones are released on a yearly basis, iPads are now as powerful as computers, Macs get better with each iteration, and Apple is working on intriguing future technology like AR/VR headsets and even a car.

As always, Apple fans around the world will celebrate Steve Jobs and all of his accomplishments today, and we can also expect to hear from Apple executives like ‌Tim Cook‌, who often honors Jobs on his birthday.

Target's inventory system may be leaking details on upcoming Apple products that are set to be released in the near future. A listing for "Airpods (X Generation)" with a price tag of $399 popped up this morning, and there are also apparently new listings for "Apple TV Gen X," "Apple iPod Touch X Generation" and "Apple Watch Series X" bands.

Target employees sent images of the listings to 9to5Mac. These are all placeholder names and could be representative of future products, though it's not clear if that's the case. We don't know what these listings are, why they're in Target's system, or if they're accurate, so the information should not be taken as concrete evidence of new devices.

The ‌Apple TV‌ Gen X lists a price of $180, the Apple iPod Touch X Generation lists a price of $400, and the Apple Watch Series X band prices are listed at $50.

There haven't been rumors of an upgraded iPod Touch, and the iPod touch last saw a refresh in May 2019, so it's not clear if the $399 iPod touch listing is correct. Pricing on the iPod touch starts at $199, and while it does go up to $399, that's for the high capacity model. We are expecting a new low-cost iPhone with a starting price point of $399, so there is a possibility that the iPod touch placeholder is for an ‌iPhone‌ and not an iPod. It could also be for a refreshed 256GB iPod touch, or the price could be wrong entirely since it's a placeholder.

We've seen multiple previous hints of a new ‌Apple TV‌ in the works in iOS 13 releases, with the device featuring an upgraded A12 Bionic chip. $179 is the price point of the 32GB 4K ‌Apple TV‌, so it's possible that this listing is more evidence of the imminent release of a new ‌Apple TV‌ model.

The Apple Watch band listings are also easily explainable as Apple refreshes its Apple Watch band offerings on a regular basis, typically with every Apple event. Apple has held events in March for the last few years, and rumors suggest that we're getting a late March event this year, perhaps on March 31st.

If there is indeed a March 31st event, we could see some of the products listed in Target's inventory. Rumors have suggested the new low-cost ‌iPhone‌ will be a highlight at the event, and an ‌Apple TV‌, an updated iPad Pro, and the rumored AirTags are also possible new products that could debut next month.

Slickwraps, a company that develops skins for Apple devices like the iPhone and Mac, yesterday suffered a data breach that saw customer info like names and addresses leaked.

News of the leak surfaced when hackers who got into the database sent out emails to Slickwraps' customer base of more than 370,000 users letting them know about Slickwraps' poor security.

Prior to the breach, Slickwraps was warned of the vulnerabilities in its site (linked to the create a skin feature) multiple times by a security researcher who goes by Lynx on Twitter, who has now deleted all of his tweets.

Lynx informed Slickwraps about the data breach on February 15, and attempted to get in touch with the company several times over the course of the last week, as outlined by an article shared on Medium that has now been suspended by Medium. Lynx had his emails ignored and was even blocked by Slickwraps on Twitter after attempting to inform the site of its security vulnerabilities.

Lynx's interactions with Slickwraps were not exactly polite and he was dealing with customer support staff that were clearly confused about what was going on based on the now-removed Medium article, but Slickwraps blatantly ignored multiple warnings about its poor security before the data breach. Lynx says that he did not send out the emails that were delivered to Slickwraps customers yesterday and that it was a third-party data breach that happened after his article was published, but with his Medium post suspended and all of his tweets deleted, he may be in some hot water for the public way that he disclosed the vulnerabilities in the site.

After the emails went out and customers became aware of the data breach, Slickwraps finally commented on the situation. An initial statement tweeted by Slickwraps (which is based in the United States) claimed to have just heard about the data breach on "February 22" when it was still February 21, which was inaccurate because Lynx documented his attempts to get in touch with the company on Twitter. Slickwraps later deleted the statement and tweeted a new one with the correct date. From Slickwraps' statement:

There is nothing we value higher than trust from our users. In fact, our entire business model is dependent on building long-term trust with customers that keep coming back.

We are reaching out to you because we've made a mistake in violation of that trust. On February 21st, we discovered information in some of our non-production databases was mistakenly made public via an exploit. During this time, the databases were accessed by an unauthorized party.

The information did not contain passwords or personal financial data.

The information did contain names, user emails, addresses. If you've ever checked out as "GUEST" none of your information was compromised.

Slickwraps goes on to say that it is "deeply sorry" for the oversight and promises to "learn from this mistake." It recommends that users reset their account passwords and be watchful for any phishing attempts.

Going forward, Slickwraps says that it will enhance its security processes, improve communication of security guidelines to Slickwraps employees, and make user-requested security features a "top priority." The company says that it is also partnering with a third-party cyber security firm to audit and improve security protocols.

Slickwraps' data breach demonstrates the importance of penetration testing for any site that deals with customer data. Data breaches are pretty much impossible to avoid these days, but customers can protect themselves somewhat by using unique passwords for every site and using two-factor authentication where appropriate.

Target's internal inventory system appears to include a listing for a product called "Apple Airpods (X Generation) priced at $399," according to multiple Target employees who got in touch with YouTuber Jon Prosser.

Prosser speculates that the name could refer to Apple's over-ear headphones that are rumored to be in development, but the listing is not accompanied by an image and includes no other information other than the name and the prospective price.

Notably, the spelling of "Airpods" is wrong, so Apple Airpods (X Generation) may just be a placeholder name for something coming in the future. The $399 price tag is $150 higher than Apple's most expensive AirPods, the AirPods Pro, so if the product is real, it is a higher-end headphone option in the AirPods line. There are three SKUs with the X Generation name, suggesting three prospective colors.

AppleInsider says that it spoke to multiple Target employees after learning of the listing, and while there was no information to be gleaned about the origin of the image, the employees said placeholders for new products with pricing information are common, but product names aren't always accurate.

The employees suggested that products with a placeholder "ship within a month" or sometimes "as soon as a week" after appearing in the Target inventory system, so if there is indeed a new AirPods product in the works, it could be coming soon. Apple is rumored to be holding an event on March 31st where the new AirPods could be announced alongside the low-cost iPhone that's in development.

There have been recent rumors about "AirPods Pro Lite" with no specific information on what that might be, but such a product would likely be available at a lower cost than the AirPods Pro and is presumably not the product referenced in the Target listing. Apple has no other known AirPods-style earbuds in the works, but has been rumored to be working on high-end over-ear headphones since 2018.

Little has been heard in the way of rumors about the high-end headphones, and there was some speculation that the rumors had actually been referencing the $300 Beats Solo Pro that launched back in October, but it's possible there's another set of headphones on the horizon.

With a number of products apparently just about ready to launch, we're starting to hear our first specific rumors about the possibility of an Apple media event near the end of next month, although continued impacts from the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic are leading to some uncertainty about Apple's plans.

Other news and rumors this week included more mentions of "AirPods Pro Lite" earphones, "AirTags" item trackers, the "CarKey" NFC functionality appearing in iOS 13.4 betas, and some of our first rumors about iOS 14.

Read on for all the details, and make sure to watch our video covering some of these stories and more.

Apple Event Rumored for March 31: iPhone 9, iPad Pro With 3D Sensing, More?

Apple often holds its first media event of the year in March, and that trend might continue in 2020.

A report this week claimed that Apple is aiming to host a special event on Tuesday, March 31, with rumors suggesting that the company may introduce a new lower-cost "iPhone 9" and refreshed iPad Pro models sporting a triple-lens rear camera system with 3D sensing.

Keep in mind that Apple's plans may change due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. Apple already announced that it does not expect to meet its revenue guidance that it provided for the March quarter due to the outbreak.

'AirPods Pro Lite' Production Reportedly Delayed Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

A report from hit-or-miss Taiwanese publication DigiTimes this week claimed that Apple suppliers have delayed production of so-called "AirPods Pro Lite" until at least the end of the second quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China.

The publication describes the "AirPods Pro Lite" as an "entry-level version" of the existing AirPods Pro, but no features or specifications have been outlined.

All in all, details are slim right now. "AirPods Pro Lite" is somewhat of an oxymoron, as "Pro Lite" just sounds like regular AirPods, but it has been speculated that perhaps Apple will release a less expensive version of the AirPods Pro with the same design and sound quality but without noise cancellation.

Supply Chain to Ramp Up for Apple's Item Tracking Tags in Second to Third Quarter of 2020

Shanghai-based Universal Scientific Industrial will begin supplying the system-in-package for Apple's rumored Ultra Wideband item tracking tags in the second to third quarter of 2020, with shipments to reach tens of millions of units by the end of the year, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Last month, Kuo said the Ultra Wideband tag would be one of Apple's major new hardware products in the first half of 2020, but he has yet to provide a more specific release date for the accessory.

MacRumors uncovered evidence of Apple working on item trackers in iOS 13 code last year, including an unreleased "Items" tab in the Find My app and a potential "AirTag" name for the tags, which would attach to everyday belongings like keys and backpacks for tracking purposes. Ultra Wideband support would allow for more precise location accuracy than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LE.

Apple's Upcoming 'CarKey' Feature Will Let You Send Digital Keys Using Messages App

As discovered in the first beta of iOS 13.4, Apple is working on a new "CarKey" feature that will allow an iPhone or an Apple Watch to unlock, lock, and start NFC-compatible vehicles.

Now, in the second beta of iOS 13.4, MacRumors has discovered that "CarKeys" will be able to be sent to people using the Messages app.

It appears that Apple will be partnering with vehicle manufacturers for "CarKey," indicating that it may be a factory installed option like CarPlay. It remains unclear when Apple plans to announce this feature.

We've also put together a roundup of everything else added in the second beta of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4.

iOS 14 May Allow Users to Set Third-Party Web Browser and Mail Apps as Default

Apple is considering allowing iPhone and iPad users to set third-party mail and browser apps as defaults instead of its own Safari and Mail apps starting in iOS 14, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The report adds that Apple is working to allow third-party music services like Spotify and Pandora to be streamed directly on the HomePod with Siri in a future software update, as is possible with Apple Music. Spotify currently can only be streamed on the HomePod via AirPlay.

Latest Foldable Smartphones Experiencing Failures and Durability Issues

Foldable smartphones are the latest device trend, with companies such as Motorola and Samsung having released new foldable smartphones over the course of the last few weeks.

The first foldable smartphone from Samsung, the Galaxy Fold, had major durability issues that caused its launch to be delayed. Samsung's newest foldable device, the Galaxy Z Flip, seems to be faring a bit better so far, but there are still some complaints about its build quality and problems with the display. The same is true of Motorola's latest smartphone, the RAZR.

On our YouTube channel this week, we shared our impressions of the Galaxy Z Flip and its durability after 48 hours of usage.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Despite pushback from Apple, the European Parliament in January voted overwhelmingly for new rules to establish a common charging standard for mobile device makers across the European Union. This article explores what form the EU laws might ultimately take and how they could affect Apple device users in Europe and elsewhere.

What Exactly is the EU Calling For?

To reduce cost, electronic waste and make consumers' lives easier, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) want "binding measures" that ensure chargers fit all smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices.

According to a 2019 impact assessment study on common chargers of portable devices conducted by the EU, almost a fifth of people surveyed reported having faced "significant issues" because of non-standard chargers. Such issues included incompatible chargers between devices, variable charging speeds between different chargers, and having to have several chargers available to cover all needs.

In addition, the EU claims that by agreeing on a common charger standard, it will put an end to charger clutter and 51,000 tons of electronic waste annually.

The recent 582-40 parliamentary vote in favor of a common charging standard came about because the European Commission's previous approach of merely "encouraging" tech companies to develop a standardized solution "fell short of the co-legislators' objectives," according to a briefing on the European Parliament website.

How Did the EC's Earlier Approach Play Out?

The European Commission's efforts to establish a common charging standard for smartphones span more than a decade. In 2009, the EC estimated that 500 million mobile phones were in use in all EU countries. It found that the chargers used often varied according to the manufacturer and model, and that more than 30 different types of chargers were on the market.

In a bid to harmonize standards, the EC negotiated a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by 14 tech companies including Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and other prominent smartphone manufacturers.

According to the MoU, phone makers agreed to adopt a micro-USB connector standard for smartphone chargers in the European Union that would allow full charging compatibility with mobile phones to be placed on the market.

The plan was for new phones to be sold with micro-USB chargers for a period of time, after which phones and chargers would be sold separately in order to allow customers who already owned chargers to continue using their existing ones.

There was considerable speculation about whether Apple would be able to meet the requirements of the micro-USB standard. At the time, Apple used a proprietary 30-pin dock connector compatible with both the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

However, the wording of the MoU offered Apple a loophole: For those phones that did not have a USB micro-B interface, an adapter was allowed under the agreed terms. And that's exactly what Apple did. In 2012, Apple introduced the ‌iPhone‌ 5 with a new Lightning proprietary connector to replace its 30-pin connector, and additionally offered a separate Lightning to micro USB adapter to comply with the 2009 EU agreement.

Consequently, Apple ultimately wasn't required to abandon its proprietary connector or include a separate micro-USB interface directly on the device for charging purposes.

Why Was the 2009 MoU Considered a Failure?

A progress report provided by the MoU signatories in February 2013 indicated that 90 percent of the new devices placed on the market by the signatories and other manufacturers by the end of 2012 supported the common charging capability. But that statistic was so high only because it took into account the fact that Apple offered a Lightning to micro-USB adapter.

One member of the Commission would note: "The perception among the citizens and the European Parliament is that the common charger does not really exist, and looking at what we find among the most popular smartphones, we have to agree with them. The future MoU must be clear in its outcome, we cannot afford to admit adaptors."

The lack of progress frustrated the Commission, and in 2014, the European parliament passed the Radio Equipment Directive, which called for a "renewed effort to develop a common charger." The directive gave the commission the power to directly set technical standards by means of a delegated act – in this case, a legislative act implementing EU rules.

By 2016, the Commission acknowledged that micro-USB had become dated and that USB-C had become the de facto standard across most devices. The Commission was advised by MoU facilitators that all manufacturers were ready to sign a new agreement in line with different approaches but keeping the solution of using solely USB-C connectors – except Apple.

Why is Apple Against the Idea of a Common Charger?

In 2016, Apple supported the adoption of USB-C as a standardized interface at the power source (i.e. the charging plug), but remained against conforming to a standard on devices themselves. The company argued that conforming to a device-side standard would cost it up to €2 billion and hamper innovation, largely based on the claim that iPhones were too thin to house a USB-C port.

Apple even commissioned a study by Copenhagen Economics outlining the potential consumer harm from a mandatory move towards a common charger.

The study concluded that it would cost consumers €1.5 billion if common charger rules became law, outweighing the €13 million associated with environmental benefits. The study also claimed that 49 percent of EU households rely on different types of chargers, but only 0.4 percent of those households experience any significant issues.

Apple's stance on the issue left the Commission deadlocked, but in 2018 the Commission agreed to continue working with manufacturers in order to achieve a suitable voluntary agreement. However, a year later the Commission concluded that its previous voluntary approach and the new MoU still allowed manufacturers to use adaptors with proprietary solutions and would not result in full charger harmonization.

Where Does the EU Go From Here?

In response to the Commission's 2019 impact assessment on common chargers, Apple said regulations that would force all smartphones to have the same charging port would "freeze innovation," be "bad for the environment," and be "unnecessarily disruptive for customers."

More than 1 billion Apple devices have shipped using a Lightning connector in addition to an entire ecosystem of accessory and device manufacturers who use Lightning to serve our collective customers. We want to ensure that any new legislation will not result in the shipment of any unnecessary cables or external adaptors with every device, or render obsolete the devices and accessories used by many millions of Europeans and hundreds of millions of Apple customers worldwide. This would result in an unprecedented volume of electronic waste and greatly inconvenience users. To be forced to disrupt this huge market of customers will have consequences far beyond the stated aims of the Commission.

The EU parliament's January 2020 vote on the matter was overwhelmingly in favor of bringing in rules to standardize chargers, but the manner in which it plans to enforce them is anything but clear. The Commission's impact assessment laid out several possible options for the proposed legislation:

• Option 0: Cables can have either a USB-C or a proprietary connector at the device end, and adapters continue to be available for purchase (the current status quo).
• Option 1: Cables must have a USB-C port at the device end (effectively outlawing Apple's Lightning connector).
• Option 2: Cables must have a USB-C port at the device end, or any manufacturers that wish to use a proprietary port on their device must include an adapter from USB-C to the proprietary connector (in Apple's case, a USB-C to Lightning adapter) plus a USB-C AC power plug.
• Option 3: Cables can have either a USB-C or a proprietary connector at the device end. Manufacturers that choose to use a proprietary connector must include a USB-C AC power plug in the box (Apple provides a USB-C AC power plug, but the ‌iPhone‌ can continue to have a Lightning connector).
• Option 4: All connectors at both the device-end and on the AC power plug must have USB-C interoperability (Apple must make USB-C chargers).
• Option 5: All connectors at the device-end must be USB-C and manufacturers must include a new fast-charging 15W+ AC power plug (Apple must make a USB-PD-compliant power plug).

In considering wireless charging as a potential solution, the Commission concluded that it was an "incipient technology" with around 60 percent energy efficiency, whereas wired technologies are close to 100 percent efficiency.

Overall, the Commission's impact assessment suggests the most effective approach would be to pursue option 1 (common connectors) in combination with option 4 (interoperable external power supply). If the Commission were to go with this recommendation, Apple would no longer be able to make new mobile devices that use its proprietary Lightning connector. But whether the Commission accepts the recommendation of its impact assessment and enshrines it in EU law remains to be seen.

Can the Initiative Work?

The EU initiative aims to limit fragmentation of the charging solutions on the market without hampering future technological innovation. By standardizing chargers, it hopes to lower prices and increase quality, therefore reducing the presence of counterfeit chargers and increasing user safety.

It also expects a reduction/minimization of e-waste, by reducing the necessity to purchase different types of chargers and by giving the possibility to reuse already owned ones. This would also increase consumer convenience, argues the impact assessment, since users would be able to charge not only mobile phones "but potentially also other portable devices with a common cable (and charger), as well as being offered the option of retaining existing chargers and purchasing mobile phones without chargers for a lower price."

It is unknown whether any changes Apple might have to make to comply with the European regulations will also be made in other markets around the world, for financial or practical reasons. Regardless, however the proposed legislation plays out, all the signs are that Apple's stance will remain firm and it will continue to lobby against the EU's intention to regulate the market.

"We do not believe there is a case for regulation given the industry is already moving to the use of USB Type-C through a connector or cable assembly," said Apple following the recent parliamentary vote. "This includes Apple's USB-C power adapter which is compatible with all ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ devices. This approach is more affordable and convenient for consumers, enables charging for a wide range of portable electronic products, encourages people to re-use their charger and allows for innovation."