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EU Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly in Favor of Common Charging Standard, Despite Apple's Protestations [Updated]

I was seriously expecting the 2020 iPhones to receive USB C, but after the protest Apple put up I kinda doubt it.

Sure, they talked about "limiting innovation" and whatnot, but it's not like USB C is going to be there forever and like they aren't already working on the next big standard which will at some point be adopted by (all) phone makers.
 
a-v-k said:
save some costs on apple side ;)
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False assumption. Apple does not have to pay any consortium fees for its own Lightning registration, which might pass on to its customers.
It's a bad thing when the legislative process makes one's own developments (ROI) uncertain.
 
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For one, it's the Android world which is fragmented as well, with the cheaper models still using micro-USB. And lightning and USB-C are hardly the biggest problems of non-standardization. We live in a world where no one can standardize voltage ratings, the power plugs, which side to drive on... to imagine that USB-C and lightning are causing bulk of e-waste and therefore focus on that for standardization is extremely narrow an outlook
 
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on one side this is convenient and better, but the other side of the coin is that you will not be able to invent a new charging solution and will have to lobby politicians to do it.

malu05a said:
Imagine being able to charge your phone with the same charger as your MacBook and iPad.
USB-C iPhone, yes please.
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Kabeyun said:
MacBooks and iPads are now moving to USB-C, and I’m betting iPhones are already planned to.
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Too late for iphones IF apple this year will start selling Qi charging
From 2021 probably will remove the port
 
One charging cable would be so much more convenient. We really don’t need propriety Apple cables anymore.
 
nikaru said:
There are bilions of electronic devices sold each year so it is perfectly resonable to create an industry-wide standard. It does not harm technology. Companies are free to innovate, share with the industry their new solution and reach a consensus on evolving the standard to a new one. It is a power cable. Im sick of having 10 different charges at home and having to look for the right one when I want to charge something.
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Why invest in innovation that you can not differentiate your business and increase your sales. A company that is smart will shift their resources in a different direction. Apple’s commitment is to the customers who they serve. Not other makers. I want them to be able to improve my product options without being restrained by ports Europe thinks are important. They should start with an international wall plug standard
 
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To a point chargers are already quite universal: most if not all already use either USB-A or USB-C at the charger. Apples can (and probably will try to) get away with a USB-C to lightning dongle (for which they're likely to charge you $29).
 
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You’d think the EU has more important issues in the world to deal with than this. A decade long fight over cable standards? What a crisis! 🙄 If this legislation was enforced when the fight actually began, we’d all be stuck with USB A today. How do we move on to the next innovation if it becomes a legal sand trap for tech companies? Why are people who likely need help from their grandkids to download apps from the App Store placing restrictions on the industry?
 
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Morgenland said:
My only explanation why the British government is pulling 40% of its population out of the EU against their will is probably their penchant for old-fashioned plugs. These dinosaurs might have been the next to be eliminated.
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Actually, I quite like our 3-pin plugs. They fit very securely into their socket. When I last visited the US, I was struck how poorly devices would fit into a socket. Very wobbly.
 
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Lightning 6.7 x 1.5 mm is quite smaller than USB-C 8.25 x 2.4 mm.

Lightning came to market 2012 two years bevor even the USB-C standard was agreed up on 2014.

Brad Saunders USB-Implementers Forum himself said recently "We were too lazy"

USB-C would probably be different without Apple.

Innovation would be slowed down significantly with the delay of forced standardization.
 
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Tymmz said:
I am ready to completely switch to USB C. Still don’t get why Apple is fighting this.
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Apple has contract with manufacturers over Apple MFI and protocol licensing royalties. If a contract was for 10 years and Apple violates the contact by not shipping products in that time frame, Apple pays fines to manufactures.
[automerge]1580472441[/automerge]
allenvanhellen said:
What can lightning do that USB-C can’t?
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this is a line from the 50 shades of grey books! “What does she have that I don’t”
 
Morgenland said:
My only explanation why the British government is pulling 40% of its population out of the EU against their will is probably their penchant for old-fashioned plugs. These dinosaurs might have been the next to be eliminated.
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As an electrial engineeer, I would like to add that this "dinosaur" plug is the safest design in the world. Most notably the insulated live and neutral prongs and the fact that the earth prong is longer, ensuring proper contact before the live and neutral are connected.

There are several other reasons, that I won't get into.
 
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So many people on macRumors bitching for the last 2+ years that Apple need to put USB-C on the iPhone so surely EVERYONE should be happy now?

USB-C would certainly allow for faster file transfer compared to Lightning.

Biggest problem now is the 60 million pairs of AirPods that were sold in 2019 that have Lightning socket charging.

Time for Apple to decide on one type of connectivity.
 
Kulfon said:
on one side this is convenient and better, but the other side of the coin is that you will not be able to invent a new charging solution and will have to lobby politicians to do it.
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If you do, you make it an open standard and put that out before you use it on your products. Form a Working Group or Special Interest Group, just like 5G, Bluetooth, NFC and WIFI standards.
 
BODYBUILDERPAUL said:
So many people on macRumors bitching for the last 2+ years that Apple need to put USB-C on the iPhone so surely EVERYONE should be happy now?

USB-C would certainly allow for faster file transfer compared to Lightning.

Biggest problem now is the 60 million pairs of AirPods that were sold in 2019 that have Lightning socket charging.

Time for Apple to decide on one type of connectivity.
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USB-C PD controller IC is much more expensive than USB charging IC, which is essentially what we have in Kindle devices and all lower-end lightning devices.
 
dilbert99 said:
A few things to unpick there
Politicians aren't getting involved with technology, they are just mandating that standards are in place. It is up to the standards bodies/consortiums that will define the standard.
As for not getting better solutions that USB-C, I couldn't imagine needing a connector smaller than usb-c.
But in any case, you won't be stuck with USB-C just as we haven't been stuck with the variations of USB or HDMI or any other standard. There are mobile standards that from 2G and what ever went before it to 3g, 4g 5g, standards evolve over time. What we don't want is 50 different mobile connectors and charging bricks which in no way impedes a company...
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While I would like to see USB C implemented on the iPhone, I don't think legislation is the way to do it. And given that I rarely plug my iPhone in anymore, I'm not overly concerned about this happening. However, there are a few of your items that also need to be unpicked.

Politicians aren't getting involved with technology, they are just mandating that standards are in place.
Yes, technology standards; hence they are getting involved in technology. Just not the development of it.

As for not getting better solutions that USB-C, I couldn't imagine needing a connector smaller than usb-c.
Just because you cannot imagine needing a connector smaller than USB-C, doesn't mean there isn't a need. And it's not just about size, maybe a different connector will have higher bandwidth, or some other feature that will work with future technology better. But companies will still have to include usb-c on their devices. Advancement will now be happening at the speed of government; great.

you won't be stuck with USB-C just as we haven't been stuck with the variations of USB or HDMI or any other standard.
Yes, we will be stuck with usb-c. The politicians didn't vote for the standards of usb-c, they voted to force the use of the usb-c standard. Companies no longer will have the choice of usb-c, lighting, micro-usb, magnetic induction, etc., and let the market decide. The market will now be stuck with usb-c.

What we don't want is 50 different mobile connectors and charging bricks
1. Lightning
2. USB-C
3. Micro USB
4. Magnetic Induction

What are the other 46 connectors that your devices are using that all require their own, different, cables?
 
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