The European Union refuses to give up on the dream that one solar day , all of us will use the same damn charger for all our machine . Today , the European Commissionannouncedit plans to force all smartphones — and several other types of electronics — to use USB - C as the one true charging criterion .
The project plan has four theatrical role . The first is that “ USB - C will be the common embrasure ” so that consumer can charge their devices with the same battery charger , “ regardless of twist or mark . ” The European Commission say it direct to preclude dissimilar company from capping charging fastness , and companies will also be required to supply consumers with entropy about charging performance , as well as whether a machine suffer quick charging . The estimation here is to educate consumers so they have it away whether their existing battery charger will shape with a new equipment . Lastly , the European Commission wants chargers to be unbundled from novel machine , so you’re able to grease one’s palms a young smartphone without yet another courser included in the box .
In its report , the deputation notes that some 420 million smartphones were sold in the EU in 2020 , and consumers own about three charger each . The upshot is 11,000 ton of east - waste per twelvemonth .
Photo: Victoria Song/Gizmodo
Under the proposition , USB - C would be the received charging embrasure for all smartphones , pad , cameras , earpiece , Speaker , and other gadgets . Should the proposal be adopted by the European Parliament , companies would have about 24 month to make the change . Android phones have long used USB - C , but you may credibly already think which company is the major holdout .
“ We remain concerned that rigid regulation mandating just one character of connector stifle innovation rather than encourage it , which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world , ” Apple say in a statementprovided tomultipleoutlets .
Are we surprised ? Not particularly . Apple has longopposed the EU ’s effortsto establish standardized charging , citing inconvenience , innovation , and waste . That said , Apple has in late class adopted USB - C for most of its iPads . It did so for its MacBooks as well , though late hearsay regarding thereturn of MagSafe this yearmay complicate that , even though Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman contends USB - snow interface will still be included . However , for its iPhones , Apple has stuck with its proprietary Lightning cables .
But the commission is n’t bribe Apple ’s Defense Department .
“ European consumer were frustrated long enough about ill-sorted chargers pile up in their drawers , ” state Margrethe Vestager , executive frailty Chief Executive of the European Commission . “ We give industry plenty of prison term to come up with their solutions , now metre is good for legislation for a common charger . ”
If this proposal passes , Apple may be force to full embrace USB - century for iPhones . Or , it could do an Apple and just up - cease everything in the process . As theVergenotes , the charge ’s proposal rigorously refers to wired charging . So no , your smartwatch or other machine that swear on wireless charging wo n’t be impacted . ( In the case of vesture , there’sa good intellect why USB - C is n’t really practicable . )
Rumors floated around that Apple was working ona portless iPhone 13 . That did n’t amount to realisation , but it ’s always potential that this might touch off Apple todust off that idea againfor the iPhone 14 or 15 . Or , they could always do what they did when the EU fight for micro - USB back in 2009 , when they released aLightning - to - micro - USB dongle in Europe . If there ’s one affair Apple loves , it ’s forcing everyone to dongle it up .
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