Apple Offering Micro USB Adapters to European Customers

MacRumors · Oct 4, 2011, 04:20 PM

In 2010, the European Union introduced a new policy to require new phones sold in Europe to support charging via MicroUSB, in an effort to standardize charging systems across all mobile phone makers.

Apple has begun offering Micro USB Adapters for the iPhone, shipping October 14 to EU customers. The adapter costs £8 or EUR9 and should also be included in the iPhone 4S when it ships later this month.

Quote:

"Introduction of the universal charger will make life much simpler for EU consumers," said Dennis Abbott, a European Commission spokesperson. "When you discover you've left your charger at home or work, you will be able to use someone else's, knowing it will fit your phone. How cool is that?"

The industry agreed that the new charger will be for all smartphones and all "data-enabled" phones - and will use a micro-USB connector. The new universal chargers will not cover older mobile phones.

Support for micro-USB charging via an adapter, rather than plugging directly into the phone, is allowed by the EU policy. Apple isn't required to include an actual micro-USB port directly on the iPhone.

Article Link: Apple Offering Micro USB Adapters to European Customers

richard4339 · Oct 4, 2011, 04:22 PM

I think it's odd they don't offer this at least for sale outside the EU. I would prefer this.

However, I'll assume it only works for power and not anything else the dock connector can be used for.

wordoflife · Oct 4, 2011, 04:22 PM

That's pretty cool.

RamboRab · Oct 4, 2011, 04:23 PM

I submited that story!

BillyBobBongo · Oct 4, 2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RamboRab

I submited that story!

Me too!

daxomni · Oct 4, 2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Apple isn't required to include an actual micro-USB port directly on the iPhone.

Or required to include the adapter either?

In that case how does the law help anyone?

You're still completely dependent on a PROPRIETARY adapter!

Sounds like someone missed a rather glaring loophole.

OllyW · Oct 4, 2011, 04:24 PM

A nice and simple solution. I can't imagine why such a fuss was made when the standardised charger was first proposed.

jshbckr · Oct 4, 2011, 04:25 PM

Dang, I'd pick one of these up just to have for convenience. Sell it outside the EU!

OllyW · Oct 4, 2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxomni

Or required to include the adapter either?

In that case how does the law help anyone?

You're still completely dependent on a PROPRIETARY adapter!

Sounds like someone missed a rather glaring loophole.

It's the charger which is standardised, the phone doesn't need to be and that's why they are allowed to use an adaptor. It was in the draft regulations from the beginning.

Biolizard · Oct 4, 2011, 04:32 PM

One of the few things the EU can be genuinely proud of achieving, this mandated micro-USB charging law

Bobbytoad · Oct 4, 2011, 04:35 PM

needs an adaptor - kind of defeats the purpose!

So included is a Power plug, sync cable and adaptor, or will the sync cable be in 2 parts - usb cable and adaptor? otherwise all its doing is creating more waste, which the legislation is trying to cut down on.

NathanA · Oct 4, 2011, 04:35 PM

"When you discover you've left your charger at home or work, you will be able to use someone else's, knowing it will fit your phone. How cool is that?"

What happens when you leave your adapter at home, though? :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxomni

Or required to include the adapter either?

Apple IS including the adapter, as the article stated, with the 4S. They also are selling it to anybody who bought an iPhone before the adapter's existence.

-- Nathan

tendicott · Oct 4, 2011, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RamboRab

I submited that story!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillyBobBongo

Me too!

As did I

marksman · Oct 4, 2011, 04:40 PM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_4 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8K2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Suck it Europe

scmacdaddy · Oct 4, 2011, 04:40 PM

i want one.

then one ipad charger and one micro usb cable charges my:

ipad, iphone, kindle, mophie juice pack.

wrinkster22 · Oct 4, 2011, 04:41 PM

Thats kinda neat. Kinda want one now. So would they come with there iPhones? They pay enough for it.

RamboRab · Oct 4, 2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillyBobBongo

Me too!

We'll share the prize money!

rmwebs · Oct 4, 2011, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marksman

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_4 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8K2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Suck it Europe

Nice input there buddy...

----

Glad this has finally been done...very useful for the car really as most satnav's use MicroUSB now so you can share the power cable for a quick charge!

Corban987 · Oct 4, 2011, 05:00 PM

This is not that great an idea, how many will actually carry the adpter. I have had adpaters on phones before and when you need them you don't have them. More than likely it will sit on a cable with your computer and when your are out everything will be packed up at home and no one will have one on them.

japasneezemonk · Oct 4, 2011, 05:14 PM

I want one of these so I an charge my iPhone with my Kindles' micro-usb cable.

KevinC867 · Oct 4, 2011, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard4339

I think it's odd they don't offer this at least for sale outside the EU. I would prefer this.

However, I'll assume it only works for power and not anything else the dock connector can be used for.

It works for syncing as well as charging. The Apple dock cables just convert to the standard four USB signals, so there's no reason this adapter can't do that as well.

jayducharme · Oct 4, 2011, 05:18 PM

That's probably the most elegant adapter Apple's ever made. It's compact and unobtrusive. I wish they made their HDMI adapter like that. Also, it's strange that most iPhones are black, yet all their accessories are white.

mungo2k · Oct 4, 2011, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard4339

However, I'll assume it only works for power and not anything else the dock connector can be used for.

According to the Apple site, you can sync through it too.

theBB · Oct 4, 2011, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corban987

This is not that great an idea, how many will actually carry the adpter. I have had adpaters on phones before and when you need them you don't have them. More than likely it will sit on a cable with your computer and when your are out everything will be packed up at home and no one will have one on them.

I think the environmentally friendly idea is to make phones, so that you do not have to buy a new wall charger or a car charger with every new phone. I don't think it was ever about making it easy to for you to charge your phone when you left your charger at home by mistake.

Beaubarre · Oct 4, 2011, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobbytoad

needs an adaptor - kind of defeats the purpose!

The point of the legislation is that in the future, the smartphones in EU won't be selling with a power adaptor as most likely everybody will already have one, which would reduce massively the waste associated with the redundant power adaptors.

Of course phones with another power plug like the iPhone will still ship with their proprietary adaptator because Apple cannot count on the owner having that specific power adaptator.

Oct 4, 2011, 04:22 PM	#2
richard4339 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois	I think it's odd they don't offer this at least for sale outside the EU. I would prefer this. However, I'll assume it only works for power and not anything else the dock connector can be used for. __________________ Retina MBP \|\| VZW iPhone 4S
	1

Oct 4, 2011, 04:22 PM	#3
wordoflife macrumors 604 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Republic City, URN.	That's pretty cool. __________________ "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."
	0

Oct 4, 2011, 04:23 PM	#4
RamboRab macrumors regular Join Date: May 2010 Location: Glasgow, Scotland	I submited that story! __________________ Robert Dowson Photography www.robertdowson.com Facebook MacBook Pro iPhone 5 iPad 4 Apple TV 3
	-4

Oct 4, 2011, 04:24 PM	#7
OllyW Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: The Black Country, England	A nice and simple solution. I can't imagine why such a fuss was made when the standardised charger was first proposed. __________________ Some Apple stuff Some other stuff https://soundcloud.com/disco-tramps
	3

Oct 4, 2011, 04:25 PM	#8
jshbckr macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2007	Dang, I'd pick one of these up just to have for convenience. Sell it outside the EU! __________________ Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, iPhone 4S.
	2

Oct 4, 2011, 04:32 PM	#10
Biolizard macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2008 Location: London, United Kingdom	One of the few things the EU can be genuinely proud of achieving, this mandated micro-USB charging law __________________ 2009 2.66Ghz uMBP, iPhone 4S 32GB, 16GB WiFi iPad
	3

Oct 4, 2011, 04:35 PM	#11
Bobbytoad macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2010	needs an adaptor - kind of defeats the purpose! So included is a Power plug, sync cable and adaptor, or will the sync cable be in 2 parts - usb cable and adaptor? otherwise all its doing is creating more waste, which the legislation is trying to cut down on.
	1

Oct 4, 2011, 04:40 PM	#14
marksman macrumors 603 Join Date: Jun 2007	Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_4 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8K2 Safari/6533.18.5) Suck it Europe __________________ MacRumors Analyst
	-22

Oct 4, 2011, 04:40 PM	#15
scmacdaddy macrumors regular Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: LA	i want one. then one ipad charger and one micro usb cable charges my: ipad, iphone, kindle, mophie juice pack.
	0

Oct 4, 2011, 04:41 PM	#16
wrinkster22 macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Toronto	Thats kinda neat. Kinda want one now. So would they come with there iPhones? They pay enough for it. __________________ Macrumors Scavenger Hunt Part 1 Score: 7 Macrumors Scavenger Hunt Part 2 Score: 3 Macrumors Scavenger Hunt Part 3 Score: 1
	1

Oct 4, 2011, 05:00 PM	#19
Corban987 macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Seoul	This is not that great an idea, how many will actually carry the adpter. I have had adpaters on phones before and when you need them you don't have them. More than likely it will sit on a cable with your computer and when your are out everything will be packed up at home and no one will have one on them.
	1

Oct 4, 2011, 05:14 PM	#20
japasneezemonk macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nomad	I want one of these so I an charge my iPhone with my Kindles' micro-usb cable.
	2

Oct 4, 2011, 05:18 PM	#22
jayducharme macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The hinterlands	That's probably the most elegant adapter Apple's ever made. It's compact and unobtrusive. I wish they made their HDMI adapter like that. Also, it's strange that most iPhones are black, yet all their accessories are white.
	7

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