Good point. Fate of the former colonies who could never adopt something nicer. They probably keep them as a souvenir/ reminder for early 1900s technology.
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EU Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly in Favor of Common Charging Standard, Despite Apple's Protestations [Updated]
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Good point. Fate of the former colonies who could never adopt something nicer. They probably keep them as a souvenir/ reminder for early 1900s technology.
This is an extremely bad example of Government intervention. What if something better is developed? It won't be used because it is not used on everything. It will slow progress. I am sorry there are new types of cables out, but some are more superior than others. I do believe that USB-C is currently the best. The iPhone cable sucks and constantly does not work. However, when USB-D or USB-XYZ comes out, I'd like to see companies switch to it.
You destroyed your own argument with the words “in time”. Don’t forget it took them over a decade just to get to this first vote! Future standards”won’t come easy.
If this forces the next phones to have USB-C, I think I might just box all my old cables up and ship them to the EU. It's their fault I have dozens of cables that would be rendered useless. It should be their mess to deal with.
What I mean was, and this argument was made in a tech podcast this week.
Just because you have a standard everyone has to work to TODAY
Does not mean that has the remain the standard till the end of time.
It is quite possible to create a standard everyone needs to work to, and when new developments come along that are better than the whole industry cannot them move forwards.
Can't I charge my lightning-port iPhone off of the MacBook that's plugged into that charger?
Also, can't I charge my lightning-port iPhone off of the iPad too?
I have an iPad 7 gen and already can charge my iPhone and iPad with the same brick and cable.
I’m conflicted because I despise government intervention within the free market, but I also really want a USB-C iPhone because I’m sick of Lightning being an annoying outlier with all my modern tech.
Is less freedom a good thing as long as I get the thing that I want? It’s a tough dilemma.
Is less freedom a good thing as long as I get the thing that I want? It’s a tough dilemma.
Absolutely! I agree. I’d even go so far as to say that standards MUST change over time.
This is the simple nature of progress... it then follows that anything that would stifle or elongate the time before these new future standards get implemented (say, for example, a law forcing companies NOT to release a different standard- no matter how much better; until it has been okayed by them and made into a binding law), would be bad, right??
Cool, so more bureaucracy. That's never failed anyone or any industry. /sThis is an important concern, and it was brought up in the resolution:
“5. Points out that the Commission, without hampering innovation, should ensure that the legislative framework for a common charger will be scrutinised regularly in order to take into account technical progress; reiterates the importance of research and innovation in this domain to improve existing technologies and come up with new ones”
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on a common charger for mobile radio equipment | RC-B9-0070/2020 | European Parliament
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION pursuant to Rule 132(2) and (4) of the Rules of Procedure replacing the following motions: B9-0070/2020 (PPE) B9-0072/2020 (S&D) B9-0074/2020 (Verts/ALE) B9-0075/2020 (Renew) B9-0076/2020 (GUE/NGL) B9-0085/2020 (ECR) on a common charger for mobile radio equipment...www.europarl.europa.eu
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You already have the freedom to chose Lightning free devices. Just do it already.
Standards are not mandatary.
If you mandatary a standard then there's no more development anymore because it's illegal to use any new stuff. You have to propose your new invention to the government and hope they pass it as a new standard when no product is using it yet -- which is breaking their current "single port strategy". No one will ever success to convince government to do so.
If they decide to let USB-IF to control the standard then they literally giving USB-IF the power of creating laws.
This law is a totally joke as there are trying to put USB type-c on all phones. Apple Watch LTE is clearly a full feature phone and I'd like to see how they will deal with that. If they let Apple Watch pass then iPhone will fall into same category.
Apple previously shipped iPhone with a lightning to Micro USB converter in China when Micro USB was mandatary back then. That joke ends up with everyone breaks it and they silently "forget" about the law.
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Maybe. But because
this law it may mean Apple HAVE to keep a port. If they go for no port. That makes it non-standard.
This law could basically cripple the industry to not be able to move forward.
Apple could just say we aren’t shipping the latest greatest phone to their market. Watch the public outcry and affect on their economy. I bet the law wouldn’t last long.
Apple has more money and support than the government.
I personally would much rather have USB C over Lightning. That said, I am not lobbying my representatives to force the company that makes my devices of choice to adopt a standard.
There is a very big difference between standards groups or alliances and the government. Only one has the weight of law and the threat of fines or imprisonment. Why people cheer on this centralized control and consolidation of power is beyond me.
There is a very big difference between standards groups or alliances and the government. Only one has the weight of law and the threat of fines or imprisonment. Why people cheer on this centralized control and consolidation of power is beyond me.
So they want my phone to have different cables than my Apple TV remotes, my mice, my keyboards and an iPad and they assume that will reduce the amount of cables I trash ?
LOL
ALL they had to do was really simple: prohibit the bundling of cables and chargers with phones.
That would have reduced people getting cables and chargers they don't need.
LOL
ALL they had to do was really simple: prohibit the bundling of cables and chargers with phones.
That would have reduced people getting cables and chargers they don't need.
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What sort of an person wants to live in a dystopian society in which companies can do whatever they want to? That is as awesome idea as saying “alone is better than being part of great union”. But hey let’s split US and EU. That should create complete chaos so companies can do whatever they want. After all this world is made for corporations and not for humans.
Can someone point out for me where the actual resolution refers to the mobile device charging ports rather than the charger?
www.europarl.europa.eu
Asking because it seems there's some pretty sloppy reporting causing a lot of unnecessary angst.
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on a common charger for mobile radio equipment | RC-B9-0070/2020 | European Parliament
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION pursuant to Rule 132(2) and (4) of the Rules of Procedure replacing the following motions: B9-0070/2020 (PPE) B9-0072/2020 (S&D) B9-0074/2020 (Verts/ALE) B9-0075/2020 (Renew) B9-0076/2020 (GUE/NGL) B9-0085/2020 (ECR) on a common charger for mobile radio equipment...
Asking because it seems there's some pretty sloppy reporting causing a lot of unnecessary angst.
Ugh, so many in here don't understand what the legislation is doing. They aren't picking USB Type C. They're mandating that a tech standards body/consortium agrees on a single connection, which is currently USB Type C. If the consortium agrees on something post USB Type C, then devices after that agreement will move to that. Reducing e-waste is a good thing.
Speaking for myself, I like USB-C for the same reasons I like lightning: it’s reversible, not too small and is easy to insert. But beyond that, the USB-C cable coming from my monitor powers my laptop as well as receiving video from the laptop. It’s a neat arrangement that can handle lots of power and high speed data.
100's of millions of people tossing out useless Lightning cables is NOT a good thing.
Somewhere around 1.2 billion devices, between iPhone and iPad. Billions of cables. Yikes.
Electrical engineer here. Different wattages are not a problem. The output wattages are the maximum the charger can produce, not a fixed power output. The actual power output is determined by the phone itself, not the charger, as the charger doesn't "send" the power so much as the phone "draws" the power, so for example, if you have a phone that uses 10W to charge, and you plug it into a 30W charger, the phone will only draw 10W from it, it won't have 30W blasted into it. What is determined by the charger though, is the voltage output, which does effect the power drawn, but for USB chargers, this voltage is a mandated and constant standard. Also, in the case of using a charger which has it's maximum power rated at lower than the phone's capability, this also causes no problems, and the phone will simply charge slower in this case.
Here's the simple maths that apply:
I = V/R
P = VI = V^2/R
where:
V = voltage in volts (V)
I = current in amps (A)
R = resistance in ohms (Ω)
P = power in watts (W)
For charging a phone:
the voltage is a fixed constant and is determined by the charger
the resistance is a fixed constant and is determined by the phone
the current is sent from the charger to the phone, and thus for the same charger with different phones, the current sent will depend on each phone's resistance (I = V/R)
the power is how much current is sent from the charger to the phone per second, and similar to current, is a function of the voltage provided by the charger, and the resistance of the phone (P = V^2/R)
E.g. A 25W USB charger will supply up to 5A at 5V
P = VI
= 5 x 5
= 25W
For a phone to use all of the 25W (or all of the 5A), it will have a resistance of no more than 1Ω
I = V/R
R = V/I
= 5/5
= 1Ω
If the phone has 2Ω resistance (a higher resistance allowing less current to flow through), then the current drawn will only be:
I = V/R
= 5/2
= 2.5A
And thus the power drawn will be:
P = VI
= 5 x 2.5
= 12.5W
Thus, you can see that a 25W charger will only supply 12.5W to a phone that is only rated for 12.5W. It won't blast the full 25W into it, because the phone's resistance won't let it.
Now let's take a charger rated at a maximum of 7.5W, which will supply up to 1.5A at 5V
P = VI
= 5 x 1.5
= 7.5W
For a phone to use all of the 7.5W (or all of the 1.5A), it will have a resistance of no more than 3.33Ω
I = V/R
R = V/I
= 5/1.5
= 3.33Ω
Thus for our previous phone with 2Ω resistance, then the current it will try to draw will be:
I = V/R
= 5/2
= 2.5A
but the charger only supplies up to 1.5A, so in this case, the maximum of 1.5A will be supplied
And thus the power drawn will be:
P = VI
= 5 x 1.5
= 7.5W
Being the maximum rated for the charger, even though the phone itself can handle up to 12.5W. The phone will still charge, but at a slower rate since it is only receiving 7.5W
A great analogy for understanding all this is to think of water flowing through a pipe. The voltage is equivalent to the water pressure (supplied by the sender, i.e. the charger), the resistance is equivalent to the diameter of the pipe (determined by the receiving pipe, i.e. the phone), the current is the water that flows, and the power is the amount of water that flows past a point per second. The lower the resistance, the thicker the pipe, and thus more water/current flows.
Gee wow, didn't I go to town on writing that, ha ha. Hope you enjoyed it
It can be smaller.
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Government has become so competent with governing that they now think they can competently get involved in technological innovation decisions. Except there isn't a government on earth that is even competent about government. In fact, the more government manages businesses they are actually less competent in the more they incompetent they they are in what they should be focussing on, government.
Yes. As mentioned several times already, if they REALLY want to eliminate waste, stop manufacturers from including new cables by default. Lord knows how many brand-new cables / charging blocks I have lying around. I don't even remove them from the box because I already have more than I need. But they keep giving me new ones with every purchase whether I want them or not.
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