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EU Law That Could Force the iPhone to Switch to USB-C to Be Presented Next Month
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For what it's worth, the UK also measures their highways in miles and their beer in pints, and the EU was fine with it.
True... and I think this law actually applies to the chargers, anyway.
The word "charger" appears throughout the article:
"...legislation to establish a common charger for mobile phones..."
"...voted overwhelmingly in favour of a common charger..."
"...understanding to harmonize chargers..."
"...suggested five options for a common charger..."
So it sounds like the law will be for standardizing on USB-C chargers... no matter how many times people keep talking about iPhones and Lightning ports...
Government shouldn't meddle in tech in general. But when the industry can't agree on a standard and turns something as arbitrary as a charger into a licensing spiel for extra profit, then government absolutely should meddle.
Businesses as big as Apple have a serious impact on society at large and the fact that we could use one standard for cables and ports would make everything easier and better in terms of waste and so much more.
And don't @ me about a lack of "innovation" if this gets regulated: Cables and chargers only ever see higher charging speeds and data transfer rates -Any and all manufacturers can increase those for any type of cable. The fact that Apple choses to increase charging speeds and data transfer rates for their proprietary cable instead of the one that all other manufacturers use doesn't help anyone but Apple and their MFi certification scheme.
And honestly, nothing is keeping Apple from doing their MFi certification program for USB-C cables just as consumers have tons of ways to buy non-certified Lightning cables around the World.
If they can do it for iPads Pro then they can do it for the rest of their line-up. The MFi and Lightning-to-USB-C cable and charger sale money is just too good, that's all it is.
Businesses as big as Apple have a serious impact on society at large and the fact that we could use one standard for cables and ports would make everything easier and better in terms of waste and so much more.
And don't @ me about a lack of "innovation" if this gets regulated: Cables and chargers only ever see higher charging speeds and data transfer rates -Any and all manufacturers can increase those for any type of cable. The fact that Apple choses to increase charging speeds and data transfer rates for their proprietary cable instead of the one that all other manufacturers use doesn't help anyone but Apple and their MFi certification scheme.
And honestly, nothing is keeping Apple from doing their MFi certification program for USB-C cables just as consumers have tons of ways to buy non-certified Lightning cables around the World.
If they can do it for iPads Pro then they can do it for the rest of their line-up. The MFi and Lightning-to-USB-C cable and charger sale money is just too good, that's all it is.
I'm all for this. USB-C has been touted as a standard port design that can keep the same form factor for the forseeable future whilst allowing the underlying technology (i.e, the charge speed, data transfer speed, tech like Thunderbolt, etc.) to be upgraded and added WITHOUT needing to change the port, this was not the case for previous USB interfaces as far as I'm aware. There's no excuse not to implement USB-C as the new standard port design today, there's practically nothing else that needs to be done to improve it from a usability and physical port point of view (it's a tiny reversible connector, what else does it need to be capable of doing?)
To all those saying this would stifle innovation you're talking BS to be quite frank. This is not a law about standardizing a type of chip design or anything that gets frequently innovated upon, this about standardizing the interface alone. There's nothing to stop Thunderbolt 4 or 5 from being implemented on this USB-C design as far as we know. Besides, if a better design comes along there's nothing to stop them from updating the law promptly as most of the players involved are already on the same page about using an interoperable standard (except Apple).
To all those saying this would stifle innovation you're talking BS to be quite frank. This is not a law about standardizing a type of chip design or anything that gets frequently innovated upon, this about standardizing the interface alone. There's nothing to stop Thunderbolt 4 or 5 from being implemented on this USB-C design as far as we know. Besides, if a better design comes along there's nothing to stop them from updating the law promptly as most of the players involved are already on the same page about using an interoperable standard (except Apple).
USB-C wasn't available when Lightning was being worked on.
USB-C was popularized *after* Lightning came out. Also Apple Pencil 1 wouldn't have been possible with USB-C.
It's about time. I was clamoring 30 years ago to have SCSI as the legally forced connection standard. You don't need anything else. And of course VGA should have been the required display connection. So it's about time there is an enforced standard.
And don't get me started on the different household outlet types.
And don't get me started on the different household outlet types.
The problem is you have to be more forward thinking. In the future, people won't want separate cables for data and power, they are going to just want one.
I'd propose something like this, which I'll call POS, for Power Over SCSI.
It's standards based and I'm pretty sure it's all we'll need for a while.
Yes. Let business do whatever they want, price fix, monopolise - let’s not interfere. I’m sure it would work out well for the consumer. There’s no way that left unchecked, they’d do the right thing and not screw the public….
I'm going to take a contrarian hacker's view on this. Apple should fight this, but not for "Truth, Justice, and The American Way" or any other ostensibly heroic reason.
The EU, like every other oppressive government, is probably working on eight different ways to take away rights in the member countries. Seriously, the EU thinks it's worth fighting a company over a CABLE SPECIFICATION, when there's all this other stuff they could be working on?
Apple could probably very easily switch to USB-C, and may even already have plans to do it.
But that's not the point. I say it's a healthy thing when you fight your government oppressors, and I suggest that Apple fight this hard and sweaty. Call the EU names, call them anti-liberty, anti-business, anti-anti-whatever. Yeah, give 'em the Trump treatment; get 'em hot, bothered and ready to throw down to the point that they call in all their lawyers and fight this with all their strength.
Make it a long, drawn out fight. An expensive fight. Apple knows how to do this. And make it about government against poor li'l ol' Apple. It's a Genius idea, right? <-- yes, pun intended!
Make the fight so long and soul-sapping that some EU people work their whole career under this cloud. Apple has its own legal team, they can easily afford this.
Then, at the very end, Apple could announce that they're going transitioning to USB-C, or maybe to twist the knife a bit more, just go to USB-D, or whatever the next iteration. That would be a laugh riot. And then just be all, "yeah, we were planning all along to do that; whatev's".
Eye, meet thumb. 👁️👍 Or that "other" finger, lol!
Yeah, my plan is probably not well thought out, but hey, I like a good fight, so give 'em hell!
The EU, like every other oppressive government, is probably working on eight different ways to take away rights in the member countries. Seriously, the EU thinks it's worth fighting a company over a CABLE SPECIFICATION, when there's all this other stuff they could be working on?
Apple could probably very easily switch to USB-C, and may even already have plans to do it.
But that's not the point. I say it's a healthy thing when you fight your government oppressors, and I suggest that Apple fight this hard and sweaty. Call the EU names, call them anti-liberty, anti-business, anti-anti-whatever. Yeah, give 'em the Trump treatment; get 'em hot, bothered and ready to throw down to the point that they call in all their lawyers and fight this with all their strength.
Make it a long, drawn out fight. An expensive fight. Apple knows how to do this. And make it about government against poor li'l ol' Apple. It's a Genius idea, right? <-- yes, pun intended!
Make the fight so long and soul-sapping that some EU people work their whole career under this cloud. Apple has its own legal team, they can easily afford this.
Then, at the very end, Apple could announce that they're going transitioning to USB-C, or maybe to twist the knife a bit more, just go to USB-D, or whatever the next iteration. That would be a laugh riot. And then just be all, "yeah, we were planning all along to do that; whatev's".
Eye, meet thumb. 👁️👍 Or that "other" finger, lol!
Yeah, my plan is probably not well thought out, but hey, I like a good fight, so give 'em hell!
We’re just strange. Half in, half out. We measure our fuel consumption in MPG but have to fill our cars up in litres. Never understood it. We also don’t really measure anything in inches, other then a persons height. Weights the same, measure our bodies in stones & pounds (not even the US use stones), but most other things in kilograms.
Strange, but it’s what we’re used too
Double-edged sword, that. USB-C is not the ultimate connector.
Look at the AV world and networking worlds - a natural consolidation of connectors requiring fewer types, fewer wires but nevertheless the need to upgrade from time to time even when the connector does not change (HDMI, ethernet).
If Apple no longer supplies cables in the box, then there is not such an issue with maintaining Lightning from an e-waste perspective. Cables are consumables and don’t last forever, so having more than one type is not necessarily the problem.
Yeah, milking someone or an entity in court doesn't work in EU. Fun fact. That horrible Brussels bureaucracy.
I am against it because I believe the market deciding these things is superior to government deciding, regardless of the merits of this particular decision (which, whatever, either way is fine).
There are two types of countries. Ones that use the metric system, and the one that had men walk on the Moon.
Which also resorted to metric system.. One spacecraft crashed because part of tehe team worked in imperial units while the other did their work in metric. After that they consolidated space program to metric units.
Is our life so difficult with cables we need yet more legislation? There are billions of Lightning cables out there and they are available all over the world. You can buy a low cost mini-adapter to convert USB-C to Lightning. I have them. They work, not the end of the world.
What next? Legislation on the size of toilet paper rolls? Maybe some rules on the number of sheets on a roll of paper towels?
Yes I joke. Screw this petty stuff.
Get us right to repair and repairable equipment. Stop the glue, stop the impossible repairs.
What next? Legislation on the size of toilet paper rolls? Maybe some rules on the number of sheets on a roll of paper towels?
Yes I joke. Screw this petty stuff.
Get us right to repair and repairable equipment. Stop the glue, stop the impossible repairs.
What does this mean for the future of ports?
Say Apple discovers a port they feel is superior to USB-C. Does this mean that they are not allowed to use it ever, if the rest of the industry has no desire to migrate to it, or because Apple decides to keep it proprietary to their devices?
Say Apple discovers a port they feel is superior to USB-C. Does this mean that they are not allowed to use it ever, if the rest of the industry has no desire to migrate to it, or because Apple decides to keep it proprietary to their devices?
I still feel like this law is pertaining to chargers.... not the ports on the device itself.
Read the source article and see if you get that impression too. There are quite a few references to the words "common chargers" in there.
The only mention of Apple, Lightning Ports, or Cables is in the editorial commentary.
Also... remember that Apple stopped shipping chargers with most new devices. So would they be forced to include chargers again?
Let me guess. You’re one of those people that refers to the cable as the charger. Just out of curiosity, what do you call that thing that you plug into the wall?
My iPad uses USB-C. My iPhone does not. I can charge either one with the same charger, but with a different cable and if I am going to charge them both at the same time then I need two chargers and two cables, as appropriate.