There are three iPhones in Apple’s current range that have a Lightning connector: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone SE 3rd generation.
Customers in England, Wales and Scotland may still place orders for this device.” ForbesiOS 18.2.1 Release Date: New Apple iPhone Update Confirmed The identical rubric is found on payment pages for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
That $100 cost difference plays all the way up and down the range, with the iPhone 14 at the lowest end, from $599.
But the iPhone SE was much more affordable: $170 less than the iPhone 14, at $429.
This happened on Friday, Dec. 27, when customers visiting Apple websites in all 27 EU countries found that only the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, iPhone 16, 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are now available for sale.
December update. 29 with more availability information, including the precise impact on certain U.S. K. .
The iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone SE 3rd generation, and iPhone 14 are the three models in Apple’s current lineup that have a Lightning connector. The business has removed all three from sale in 29 countries, including the United States. K. . Will other nations be impacted? Apple has now confirmed that the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 are no longer available in some U.S. locations. The K.
on the U. The K. For example, the following notice appears on the payment page of the Apple website if you are purchasing an iPhone SE: “We are unable to sell this device in Northern Ireland due to EU Common Charger regulations. Customers can still order this device from England, Wales, and Scotland. “.”.
18point. ForbesiOS. 1 Verified release date for the latest Apple iPhone update.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus’s payment pages use the same criteria.
Customers will notice that the most economical iPhones are no longer available, making it more costly to purchase one in these countries. Additionally, the iPhone SE’s price range differed from other iPhone models. When it comes to Apple, the price differences are clear. The price of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus starts at $799 and $899, respectively. This $100 price difference is present throughout the entire range, with the iPhone 14 starting at $599 at the lowest end. However, the iPhone SE was significantly more reasonably priced at $429, $170 less than the iPhone 14. The iPhone 15, which retails for $699, is currently the least expensive iPhone.
Nothing in the range affects the SE’s value, despite the fact that prices vary slightly in euros or the local currencies of the EU.
This situation is only likely to last a few months because the fourth-generation iPhone SE may arrive as early as March 2025, though recent reports indicate its price will not be as low as that of the SE that recently vanished from stores.
The crux of the matter is an EU directive that takes effect on Saturday, December. May 28, 2024. The European Union mandated that manufacturers make sure that cellphones, tablets, and cameras all used the same charging port (and cable)—USB-C—in an effort to reduce electronic waste.
At first, Apple opposed this action, claiming that it might hinder innovation. Nevertheless, the modification was implemented, and starting with the iPhone 15, Apple switched its iPhones to USB-C. For example, all connectors on iPads, AirPods, Magic Mouse, and Magic Keyboard are now USB-C only.
As a result, the three iPhone models mentioned above that were based on Lightning had to be discontinued by December. 28 to abide by.
This took place on Friday, December. When customers discovered that only the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, iPhone 16, 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max were now for sale, they were browsing Apple’s websites in all 27 EU countries.
If you live in the EU, is it too late to purchase one of these phones? No, it’s not quite. Remaining inventory can be sold by third-party resellers; for example, the iPhone 14 is currently available for purchase in Spain on Amazon. In a similar vein, the third-generation iPhone SE is still available on Amazon Germany.
And the prohibition extends. Although Switzerland is not a member of the EU, it is aligned with the bloc in many ways, so the ban is also applicable there. And while the U.S. The K. Northern Ireland has different trading regulations designed to guarantee that there is no border between the British area in the north and the Republic of Ireland, which left the European Union in 2020. As previously stated, the impacted phones are no longer available for purchase in Belfast.
Irony is present because, incidentally, the Republic does not have an official Apple Store. The Lightning iPhones are no longer offered on the Irish Apple website, not even in the refurbished section.
Although the iPhone SE’s sales have been declining and a new model is on the horizon, the current state of affairs is still not ideal.
What are the consequences outside of Europe? Other nations will have been observing with curiosity, but in practice, the consequences will be negligible. It would be unlikely for legislation to go into effect before the iPhone 14 is retired globally, which is anticipated to happen this fall, even if it were introduced swiftly.
