You may love the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE, but if you live in the European Union, the clock is ticking as to being able to purchase these handsets within the region. In order to comply with a regulation that all newly-sold smartphones feature a USB-C port, these units, which still feature the Lightning port for wired charging, will soon be removed from store shelves.
Per the French blog iGeneration, the iPhone models will no longer be sold through Apple’s online store and retail stores in the European Union as of December 28, which is when the regulation goes into force. Apple may begin phasing out the iPhones even earlier in Switzerland, which has a close relationship with the European Union market. There, the report states that the devices will be removed from Apple’s online store as of December 20.
Apple Authorized Resellers in the European Union will be able to continue selling these iPhones until their remaining inventory is depleted, the report added.
Apple seems to be about to stop selling some of its other Lightning-based wares in the EU, including its Magic Keyboard without Touch ID. The keyboard still uses a Lightning port for charging.
There are 27 countries in the European Union, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. While the United Kingdom left the European Union in 2020, the report said Apple will stop selling the devices in Northern Ireland, which continues to follow many of the European Union’s trade laws.
The report cites details shared by Apple’s internal team. Apple did not reply to comments as to the rumors.
Apple is expected to announce a fourth-generation iPhone SE with a USB-C port in March, so the device will quickly return to the European Union. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus likely would have been discontinued in September, so sales of those devices would end in the European Union around nine months early.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and iGeneration