Apple will comply with iPhone charger law

Apple Chief Marketing Officer Greg Joswiak said that Apple Inc. will have to comply with European Union law that is why iPhones will be equipped with a USB-C charger. He did not specify when the iPhone would get such a charger as a replacement for Lightning.

According to his statement, disputes between Apple and EU representatives regarding chargers have been going on for about a decade, he recalled that the European government once required Apple to have their devices with a Micro-USB connector. He stressed that if that switch had been made, neither Lightning — the port currently used to charge iPhones — nor the now widely used USB-C would have been developed.

According to Bloomberg News, Apple plans the iPhone transition to USB-C next year. The corresponding law will go into effect in 2024. Apple has already transitioned its Macs, many iPads and accessories to USB-C from Lightning and other types of connectors.

Along with the founder of Snap Inc. Evan Spiegel, Joswiak rejected the idea of the future of computers being a virtual world, dubbed the metaverse. 

Joswiak stressed that he would never use the word metaverse.

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, was asked about other changes in Apple products, namely, whether there were plans to use a touchscreen in Macs. To which he replied, "Who’s to say?" 

On another controversial issue, Federighi said that the Android version of iMessage, the messaging service on Apple devices, would limit innovation in iMessage on iOS. Apple would not be able to invest heavily in developing an Android version.

In addition, Federighi and Joswiak argued that Apple benefited by forcing employees back into the office — a move many technology companies have refused to take.

The pandemic has left many feeling disconnected from the team, Federighi said, and the company's efficiency is improved when everyone returns to the office. Apple's corporate culture has long been about working together in one place, he stated.