The company also plans to stop selling some other products that use its old proprietary Lightning port in the EU. Apple had to switch over the iPhone 15 lineup to USB-C after pressure from the region and that has been widely regarded as a welcome change in the tech industry.
There are a number of other things that the EU has demanded of Apple as well. The company has responded by mostly implementing required changes in the EU only and leaving its products in other regions unchanged. This includes third party NFC support and alternative app stores. Apple Intelligence remains absent from the EU till now because of conflicting policies.
Funnily enough the upcoming revamped iPhone SE — which will have a USB-C port — will reportedly use the iPhone 14 body. So the EU should soon regain access to both the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE in one combined device that can also run Apple Intelligence.Stores in the EU will be allowed to sell their remaining stock of the devices Apple is discontinuing in the region. So if you live in the EU this might be your last chance to get yourself an iPhone 14 if you’re interested. Apple will apparently also stop selling the aforementioned devices in Northern Ireland despite it not being part of the EU.
While it is a bit of a bummer that these devices will be discontinued in the EU you’ll still have a ton of other choices. The iPhone 15 is still an excellent phone to choose and you can always just wait for the new iPhone SE if you’re on a budget.
If you plan to use your Lightning port Apple device for the foreseeable future then I’d advise stocking up on a handful of its accessories before they’re gone too.