We warned about this a few weeks ago, and it happened a couple of days earlier than expected. Apple has stopped selling several products from its official catalog on its website. And not because of lack of stock, recalled two iPhone models which in a different situation I would have kept for several more months. Cause? EU restrictions on non-USB C devices come into effect.
The day after tomorrow we will be in 2025, and the EU has given manufacturers until January 1, 2025. stop manufacturing and selling technology products with proprietary or other connections than USB C. This reason led to Apple prematurely discontinuing three iPhone models and another product that almost no one bought anymore.
iPhones were selected from the official catalog, which they still supported the Lightning connection. Namely: iPhone SE 3rd generation, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Three devices this weekend disappeared from the site in Spain and Europeleaving the only models available to be the latest iPhone 16 and iPhone 15.
In addition, a somewhat special version of the Apple Magic Keyboard has also been removed from sale. In particular, a model with a numeric keypad and without Touch ID. However, the Lightning port has been retained, so it no longer has a place on the company’s website.
If you want one of these Apple products with Lightning, you still have a chance
Just because Apple has stopped selling these products on its website doesn’t mean they’ve gone away. Other third party stores will continue to offer them as normal and will be able to sell them without issue despite EU restrictions. This standard affects manufacturers, but not for retailers who still have stock.
So you can still buy one of these models from stores like Amazon, MediaMarkt, Fnac or similar. Well, you can also travel to other countries where EU rules don’t apply and buy them as normal. This withdrawal only affects countries in the European Union.
- iPhone 14 – Amazon
- iPhone 14 Plus – Amazon
- iPhone SE 3rd generation – Amazon
- iPhone SE 3rd Generation (Refurbished) – Amazon
- Apple Magic Keyboard without Touch ID – Amazon
There is a product that resists withdrawal
Despite EU restrictions and regulations, There is a Lightning product that resists. Of course, we are not talking about cables or adapters, which are still available to all owners of old devices. The last one standing is Apple Pencil first generation..
This product has a Lightning connection and is still available on the Apple website. Cause? The company has long integrated into the package adapter to USB C, so you can use it on the most modern iPads. So, even though he has a connection that is “banned” by the EU, he manages to resist being evicted from the Apple Store with this little trick.
Source: Hiper Textual
I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.
