Former Apple vice president Tony Fadell is known as the “father of the iPod”. Although he no longer has any connection with Apple, he often shares his thoughts on the company. Recently Fadell shared his thoughts on the European Union’s move to a USB-C interface for the iPhone, which the engineer believes is “the right thing to do” and which he now believes puts Apple in a monopoly position.
Fadel said the world is “moving toward USB-C” because the limitations of the old standard “have taken a hit. Fadel said he’s not worried about the EU forcing Apple and other smartphone makers to adopt USB-C, “they’re just forcing Apple to do the right thing.
In another tweet, Fadel said the regulation is happening only because Apple has a monopoly-like status. The engineer argued that some regulation and standardization in favor of consumers is necessary because companies are not always interested in doing the right thing for the best interests of society.
He also noted that forcing Apple to change its iPhone interface on environmental grounds “would be much easier than a legal trial for monopoly. Fadel went on to say that Apple doesn’t like third parties dictating what it should do.
Interestingly, one of his fans pointed out that Apple opposes the USB-C interface bill because the company makes a lot of money by certifying accessories for the MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) program. And Fadell, who is the boss of the team that invented the MFi program, agrees with his fan.
Back in June, the European Union reached a common agreement to make USB-C the standard interface for devices like smartphones and tablets. This week, the EU passed final legislation mandating a USB-C interface for every device sold in Europe that charges via a cable starting in 2024.
The EU isn’t the only body forcing Apple to adopt USB-C in the iPhone; the U.S. Senate and Brazil’s telecommunications regulator have also been considering making USB-C mandatory for smartphones.
Apple currently sells Macs and iPads that already use the USB-C interface. However, iPhones and AirPods, among others, still use the company’s proprietary Lightning connector, which was introduced in 2012 as a better alternative to the Micro USB standard, but Lightning is now obsolete.
