Apple may be forced to drop the Lightning connector for charging the iPad and iPhone in Europe. A European Parliament's consumer protection committee has voted to standardize smartphone connectors in a move to reduce waste. As a result it is possible that Apple will have to abandon the Lightning connector at the base of the iPad and iPhone that is used for charging. Certain accessories are also plugged in to the devices using the Lightning port. Brussels is attempting to make every mobile phone use the same charging standard. The microUSB standard seems the most likely winner based on the fact that in 2009 the European standards agency chose it to be the universal port for smartphones, and hence most of Apple's smartphone competition now use microUSB connectors. Indeed, Apple actually came out in support of the International Electrotechnical Commission
