Apple has plans to transition iPhones and iPads completely to wireless charging

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple should have moved to USB-C charging on the iPhone and other mobile devices a few years ago. But USB-C charging will eventually be supplanted by wireless charging on many devices, he adds. 

This past week, the European Union passed a law that requires makers of many devices—phones, tablets, cameras, headphones and headsets, e-readers, keyboards, mice, mobile navigation systems, and portable game consoles and speakers—to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024 for new products. This will extend to laptops in spring 2026. 

Gurman says the iPhone 15 is essentially a lock to get USB-C in the fall of 2023, beating the mandate by a year. The one remaining iPad without USB-C (the entry-level model), should be getting the port by the end of this year. Gurman also thinks that the next generation of Mac mice and keyboards will move to USB-C.

As for wireless charging, he thinks that Apple will probably begin transitioning entirely to inductive charging on the iPhone and iPad, matching the Apple Watch.

“That’s assuming the company can finally figure out the technology.,” Gurman adds. “AirPower [pictured], which was announced in 2017 and scrapped in 2019, obviously didn’t do the trick.”

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