The idea that the EU "forced" Apple to do USB-C is hilarious.

Apple was one of the original founders of the USB-C consortium. They were one of the first to put it on their computers--exclusively. And they've been putting it on the iPad Pro for a couple of years now.

It's also been obvious for some time that the iPhone Pro needed USB-C speeds to start getting that 4K video off the device.

But... switching from the 30-pin connector to Lightning, while a good decision at the time, still generated a ton of flack over the switch, especially with the eco-waste crowd.

Doing it again, unilaterally, would have generated the same remarks about waste, "profiteering" over making people buy new cables, and so on..

Apple was in a no-win scenario, lambasted on one hand for their failure to switch to USB-C, and on the other for "making" people buy new cables

.But now all Apple needs to do is shrug their shoulders and say, "Hey, it's the right decision and besides, the EU didn't give us any choice in the matter.