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Apr 12, 2001
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Earlier this year, U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) introduced the E-Label Act, which would allow for companies to meet the FCC's demands for certification labels by placing digital stamps on a device's software as opposed to etching information on hardware. The senators argued that the changes would allow manufacturers to save money and pass savings onto consumers. This was followed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loosening its rules for labeling, stating that manufacturers could bypass etching FCC labels on their devices in favor of labeling by alternative means.

Now, The Hill reports that U.S. President Barack Obama has officially signed the E-Label act into law, which will now allow for companies like Apple to drop FCC labeling from their devices. Instead of being etched on hardware, it is likely that the required information will now be inside of a settings menu. However, it is also likely that the certification labels representing the European Commission (EC) and its Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) initiative will still be seen on devices.

smCDMAiPhone4-3728.jpg
Verizon iPhone 4 without FCC logos on left, GSM iPhone 4 with FCC logos on right.​
The slight design change could come to Apple's lineup of devices for next year, although it remains unclear as to how exactly the company will take advantage of the new rules and regulations.

Article Link: President Obama Signs E-Label Act, Companies No Longer Required to Etch FCC Labels on Devices
 

Avenged110

macrumors 6502a
Technically, iOS has displayed a range of these logos/symbols inside Settings > General > About > Legal > License for a few years now. I imagine it would stay right where it is. Which you have to wonder, what does this matter for the iPhone considering the (pictured) CDMA iPhone 4, the only model of iPhone to be exclusively sold in the US, never had any logos/symbols – FCC or otherwise – on it in the first place.
 

SoAnyway

macrumors 6502
May 10, 2011
477
183
The senators argued that the changes would allow manufacturers to save money and pass savings onto consumers.


I highly doubt that companies will save a significant amount of money from no longer being required to etch the FCC logo on their products. Further, any savings will not be passed onto consumers.

The only upside here is the fact that we'll be getting a slightly less ugly housings on our electronics. Then again, these etchings are always in unobtrusive areas so who cares?
 

Count Blah

macrumors 68040
Jan 6, 2004
3,192
2,748
US of A
Pass savings onto consumers?

Bwahahahahahhaha

I needed that good laugh after my long snowy Thanksgiving today.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,574
3,873
New Zealand
Technically, iOS has displayed a range of these logos/symbols inside Settings > General > About > Legal > License for a few years now. I imagine it would stay right where it is.

The NZ certification is shown in Settings but isn't etched into the phone. Now that it's not a legal requirement to show the FCC logo, it'll probably disappear with the next model.

Which you have to wonder, what does this matter for the iPhone considering the (pictured) CDMA iPhone 4, the only model of iPhone to be exclusively sold in the US, never had any logos/symbols – FCC or otherwise – on it in the first place.

I believe that it only had a CDMA radio, which perhaps (just a guess) has looser labelling rules.
 

Avenged110

macrumors 6502a
I believe that it only had a CDMA radio, which perhaps (just a guess) has looser labelling rules.

Possibly, I don't know any more than you. I just feel like it would still be required considering it's a phone, in which case, I don't see any symbols coming off the iPhone. That's considering that if any of them were required, why wouldn't they appear on the CDMA 4? It appears as though they are required by places that aren't the US. So I guess my question is why didn't that 4 have the FCC logo on it.

Also, man do I miss that glass back. So clean...
 
Last edited:

2499723

Cancelled
Dec 10, 2009
812
412
Not all signage is US-related, so unless they're going to go through the effort of customising US phones versus non-US phones, I can't see this making things particularly more aesthetically pleasing. Plus, my phone is in a case, so...
 

MikhailT

macrumors 601
Nov 12, 2007
4,582
1,325
Words can not describe how pointless this law is.

Why is it pointless? It helps by not forcing companies to etch these information on their devices when they can just show it inside the OS.

It won't help the big companies that much but for smaller companies and/or startups, they can bypass this completely.

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Not all signage is US-related, so unless they're going to go through the effort of customising US phones versus non-US phones, I can't see this making things particularly more aesthetically pleasing. Plus, my phone is in a case, so...

They already customize the hardware for different markets, so it's not going to hurt to kill the US logos and there's no reason EU won't do the same in the near future.
 

HangmanSwingset

macrumors 6502
Feb 28, 2011
330
253
Everett, WA
The NZ certification is shown in Settings but isn't etched into the phone. Now that it's not a legal requirement to show the FCC logo, it'll probably disappear with the next model.



I believe that it only had a CDMA radio, which perhaps (just a guess) has looser labelling rules.

IIRC it had essentially the same world phone chip as the 4S. However, it didn't have a SIM slot. Therefore the GSM capability, while present, was crippled.
 

Reason077

macrumors 68040
Aug 14, 2007
3,585
3,521
Nobody cares or knows what those symbols on the back mean, and they're ugly.

I don't disagree with you. But the logos aren't as ugly as they once were. On my (EU) iPhone 6 they're etched so faintly they're almost invisible. You have to hold it up to the light at a certain angle to even notice them.
 

Snookerman

macrumors 6502
Jul 6, 2008
391
9
My iPhone 5 had the FCC logo on it, but my new iPhone 6 doesn't. Instead, the numbers (product class; 0682 in the EU) that used to be after the CE mark in small format are now as big as the icons. It looks something like this:
attachment.php
 

MH01

Suspended
Feb 11, 2008
12,107
9,297
well his proves the politicians do bugger all, especially if they debated this.... And the savings gong back to the end user.... lol !

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Computerized watch-makers probably lobbied hard on this.

What's a computerized watch maker ?
 

furi0usbee

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2008
1,790
1,381
The senators argued that the changes would allow manufacturers to save money and pass savings onto consumers.

Folks, when iPhone 7 comes out, let's see if Apple passes the savings onto us...

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...just before someone with some actual sense gets sworn in.

So you're a Hillary fan?
 

nt5672

macrumors 68040
Jun 30, 2007
3,236
6,853
Midwest USA
So now when counterfeit devices come on the market, not talking about Apple here, with the approvals shown in software and the counterfeiter gets caught all he/she has to do is say, oops, "typo" did not mean to have FCC label.

Surely, the court will not punish the offender for a typo. All the while, the FCC requirements will become essentially meaningless (yet the FCC tax will still be taken out our every one of our paychecks) since the offender can add or remove the label at will.

If this is the way forward why not just remove the FCC requirements, since the label will not mean anything any more and then we won't have to pay for it.
 

FieldingMellish

Suspended
Jun 20, 2010
2,440
3,108
well his proves the politicians do bugger all, especially if they debated this.... And the savings gong back to the end user.... lol !

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What's a computerized watch maker ?

Apple and others. Who wants FCC labels dominating space on a small device?

At present, these upcoming watches are like having yesteryear's pagers strapped to the wrist.
 
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