Last week Patently Apple posted a report about Apple's formal response to the EU's proposal to kill lightning connectors related to iPhone chargers. The full response by Apple was clearly dated January 31, 2019. We presented Apple's response and below are the key points:

"Apple stands for innovation. Regulations that would drive conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones freeze innovation rather than encourage it. Such proposals are bad for the environment and unnecessarily disruptive for customers.

More than 1 billion Apple devices have shipped using a Lightning connector in addition to an entire ecosystem of accessory and device manufacturers who use Lightning to serve our collective customers. We want to ensure that any new legislation will not result in the shipment of any unnecessary cables or external adaptors with every device, or render obsolete the devices and accessories used by many millions of Europeans and hundreds of millions of Apple customers worldwide. This would result in an unprecedented volume of electronic waste and greatly inconvenience users. To be forced to disrupt this huge market of customers will have consequences far beyond the stated aims of the Commission.

Beginning in 2009, Apple led industry efforts to work together to promote a common charging solution. And with the emergence of USB Type-C, we have committed alongside six other companies that all new smartphone models will leverage this standard through a connector or a cable assembly. We believe this collective effort by many of the industry’s leading companies is better for innovation, better for consumers and better for the environment."

 Here's the link to that statement from Apple to the EU Commission. 

Today Apple repeated their position on this matter in a formal statement to the  Financial Times (FT) that barely veers off their formal statement already made to the EU as we've outlined.  

The FT reports states: "In its first statement in response to the latest proposals, Apple said on Thursday that forcing it to ditch Lightning would inconvenience hundreds of millions of its customers and create an "unprecedented volume" of waste," which is exactly what was stated in their EU form that we outlined in our January 18th report presented above.

"We believe regulation that forces conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, and would harm consumers in Europe and the economy as a whole," Apple said.  Apple's original statement used the phrase "freeze innovation."

The only new thing actually stated was: "We hope the Commission will continue to seek a solution that does not restrict the industry’s ability to innovate and bring exciting new technology to customers."

The "scoop" by the Financial Times wasn't much considering most of the statement was first made formally to the EU a year ago. Patently Apple fans got this news ahead of the crowd.