The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of every cable and accessory manufactured in the past decade. USB-C didn't exist when they released the lightning cable, and they have clearly been migrating every other product over the past several years.
Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes.
Well no time like the present since time is linear and unless they're going to stick with lightning _forever_ then they'll eventually have to create a bunch of e-waste.
On the contrary, over-simplifying the motivations of a multi-trillion dollar corporation often leaves you as the fool.
How is this a “conspiracy”? It is literally what they are doing with the MFI program.
If anything, the e-waste theory is less credible, as Apple have changed the iPad and MacBook charging ports three or four times in the past 12 years. They have also a long history of preventing third parties from fixing their products, latest of which is software locking of replacement parts.
USB-C is not much different than lightning for charging / connecting a phone, so the blowback from consumers will be huge when all their accessories are no longer compatible with the next phone.
As far as I understand, there are no Lightning cables that support anything over 18W. Data transfer tops at 480Mbps, or roughly USB 2.0 speeds.
These are specs many other companies have surpassed several years ago.
> ... so the blowback from consumers will be huge when all their accessories are no longer compatible with the next phone.
Apple is the same company that went through 4 different charging connectors for their MacBook line, in about 15 years: MagSafe, MagSafe 2, USB-C, and now MagSafe 3. Their iPad line is 12 years old and has gone through 3 different connectors: 30-pin, Lightning, and USB-C.
I fail to see how this one would be different.
If the iPhone had an USB-C connector, I could pretty much carry a single cable and charger for my laptop, my tablet, and my phone. So unless there is zero overlap between iPhone users and users of anything else, the point is moot.
Even worse, Apple stopped bundling a charger with their phones over three years ago. Instead, they ship a Lightning to USB-C cable, but they bundle an USB-C charger only for a year after the release of the iPhone X, effectively forcing their customers to buy USB-C hardware anyway.
For sure, but only if Apple wouldn't provide such cables, which they do.
Currently, cables bundled with iPhones are Lightning to USB-C. It has been like this for several years.
I suspect that the kind of person who would buy a new $1,000+ phone with an USB-C to USB-C cable in the box, and bitch and moan about the $30 worth of Lightning cables about to end in the trash, is the same who vociferously complain on the Internet and then still buy the next years version.
Ironically enough, they come with a Lightning to USB-C cable. Users would need to buy their own USB-C chargers anyway.
And here we are, arguing about cables.
Apple has moved on to USB-C for almost every other product they have. They know Lightning is old and insufficient, even for their iPad Air.
The only reason why Apple keeps Lightning around is for phones and some portable accessories, and the revenue from those, and their certifications, is not something they are willing to dismiss. Technically speaking, if you want something as simple as a cable, you have to go through Apple and their MFI program.
So here we are, with Apple holding the keys to every Lightning accessory, and also keeping a degree of control of USB-C.
If anything, the EU is trying to keep Apple honest.