EU Reaches Agreement to Force iPhone and AirPods to Adopt USB-C by Fall 2024

[TETENAL]

I wish the EU would keep their subjugation kink to themselves.

They do. The regulation would only apply to the EU.

 

[siddavis]

oh for christ sake it's a cable

Look in the mirror and say that.

 

[Prabas]

Imagine defending the regulation of the freakin charging ports that companies choose in their designs. 🤡
You. Are. Not. Helpless.

Why would anyone want to defend an inferior port?

 

[JCCL]

This, usb-c, would be a reason to upgrade

I couldn’t care less, I almost exclusively use wireless.

 

[djphat2000]

So no way of circumventing the ruling by doing away with the charging port altogether, I suppose.

Yes, just make the phone thinner.

 

[Analog Kid]

RIP free market innovation...
I just hope Europe has enough landfill space for all the Lightning accessories that need to be buried.

 

[TETENAL]

Why not give consumers a CHOICE and offer a USB C model and a Lightning model? Then let the market decide instead of The Government Thy God?

Do you believe consumers/corporations should have a choice about their AC power plug and socket?

 

[neuropsychguy]

By that logic we should never upgrade anything to a better/more universal port because it might create e-waste in the short term or make items obsolete. As it is right now EarPods are only compatible with iPhones and the base iPad. They’ve never been compatible with Macs and are not compatible with the iPad mini, Air, or Pro. There are adapters on the market for those who want to continue using them and the adapters would allow the EarPods to be used with any device, not just the limited iPhone and base iPad.

That's not at all a logical extension of what I wrote. I was replying to the parent poster who said there were "zero disadvantages of switching". I pointed out some disadvantages and clearly wrote: "Now, the net advantages for switching might be positive but there are easily disadvantages to switching." I'm in favor of the switch to USB-C, I just think we cannot ignore that there are some problems with it.

 

[siddavis]

Well you can blame Apple for sticking with Lightning for so long And times change, things evolve. We got rid of (as in they're unpopular now) firewire, micro-usb, DVI, etc. cables and it's all for the better. There may be some minor and temporary inconveniences but USB-C change is only a positive one.

What is remarkable is that all those ports went to the dustbin of history without government regulation.

 

[mrat93]

As I have said before, I'm totally on board with Apple needing to support USB-C on their devices and totally against it being enshrined in legislation.

Well, considering that we’ve expected them to jump from Lightning to totally wireless until recently, I don’t think it would have happened otherwise.

When Apple forces users to use outdated and expensive cables for the sake of profit indefinitely, I’m really unbothered by legislation that puts them in the right direction.

 

[siddavis]

It's sad that our government here in the US is useless so we end up on depending on the EU (and the fact that making multiple versions of a device is a massive supply chain mess) to standardize our charging cables.

But either way, way to go EU, now we'll have one charging cable standard across all our devices.

What's sad is that you do not understand the concept of enumerated powers.

 

[Prabas]

Now, no company is going to work to create something better since it might not get approved by our government overlords and / or the innovation will have to be shared with all competitors. Terrible.

In other words, Apple or someone else won't be able to make another proprietary port and then charge manufacturers a fee to produce cables with the new connector, like Apple does now? Seems like a great deal. Less inconvenience and waste. USB-C is constantly evolving. We had 10Gbps transfer rate, now it's 40Gbps and it's the same port. Who says that it's the limit?

 

[neuropsychguy]

Well you can blame Apple for sticking with Lightning for so long And times change, things evolve. We got rid of (as in they're unpopular now) firewire, micro-usb, DVI, etc. cables and it's all for the better. There may be some minor and temporary inconveniences but USB-C change is only a positive one.

Which is why I replied what I did. You initially wrote there were "zero disadvantages of switching" so I pointed out some disadvantages. Taking a "this is only good" or "this is only bad" view is not reflective of reality. Reality is more nuanced. I am in favor of the switch to USB-C (whether or not it should be mandated by a governmental authority is a different matter [that I'm not necessarily opposed to]) but we can't ignore that it has its own costs.

 

[Prabas]

They do. The regulation would only apply to the EU.

The great thing about EU is that it's so big that if USB-C is required in EU you're 99% sure that companies are going to switch to USB-C in all their markets. EU is making Americans' lives easier

Which is why I replied what I did. You initially wrote there were "zero disadvantages of switching" so I pointed out some disadvantages. Taking a "this is only good" or "this is only bad" view is not reflective of reality. Reality is more nuanced. I am in favor of the switch to USB-C (whether or not it should be mandated by a governmental authority is a different matter [that I'm not necessarily opposed to]) but we can't ignore that it has its own costs.

I mean there are no disadvantages, just minor inconveniences which in my opinion is different. It's like you get an adapter if you buy a new phone and that's it, you'll even be able to use your old headphones etc. on your Mac or whatever and you can't do now.

 

[krspkbl]

i dont hate lightning. for me it does its job and thats charging my iphone. also, currently, finding a lightning cable (if i forget my own) is far easier that finding a usb c one. at my work lightning cables are everywhere! if i still had an android id be out of luck! of course if iphone gets usb c then that wont be an issue.

that said, im not against usb c infact im totally for it. all my other devices have it. my ipad, my switch, earphones, kindle, etc, etc. so it feels weird that iphone is lightning.

i hope apple dont try weasel out of this by ditching the charging port and forcing wireless charging. just put a usb c port on the iphone for goodness sake. get over yourselves!

 

[MayaUser]

really by 2024? probably they asked Apple when you remove the lightning from iphones, and Apple said by late 2024 we will go port-less or usbC and now EU act like the HERO after the WAR

 

[djphat2000]

Why do they have to PAY people to turn in their old chargers? You have to bribe people to "save the earth"?

This isn't universal unfortunately. Many places don't have easy access to recycling things. At least not properly. This new law will generate e-waste for a time. Even if they treated it like soda cans (5 or 10c). It would be somewhat worth it to take your old cables in for proper disposal or reuse.

Not sure where you live, but here in CA we have e-waste recycle events around town where you bring your old electronics for recycle and the events are free. No one pays anyone. I certainly don't need to be paid to get rid of useless stuff properly.

Many places you may have to go out of your way to properly dispose of things like this (or worse, say batteries).
If you pay people to do it, there is less of a likelihood they will just put it in the trash.

 

[19callum93]

I hope this never affects MagSafe!

 

[LV426]

I dislike EU's bureaucracy a lot but I do love to have USB type C across all my devices so this is good.

EU "bureaucracy" is necessary for developing and maintaining standards.

 

[siddavis]

Why would anyone want to defend an inferior port?

I do not 'defend' it. I'm 100% on board with USB-C. I just refuse to believe a nanny state needs to usher it in. Nobody has any idea what the unintended consequences of this overrreach will be. The worst part is nobody implementing it or advocating for it will be held accountable.

 

[DavidLeblond]

I can see the appeal. My office is still closed due to the pandemic but has a "hoteling" option for people who really want to come work a day back on campus. I'm in one right now actually. They all have USB-C docking stations since some of us have Thinkpads, some have Dells, and some (like me) have a Microsoft Surface. But you can dock any of them with a USB-C.

 

[visualseed]

Imagine defending a company that refuses to switch to USB-C just because they collect money from MFi accessories 🤡 Companies 'policing' themselves doesn't work and US is a great example of that.

Imagine defending a company's right to make and sell the products they want as long as they don't create some outsized harm to health and safety. Should Apple switch their phones and accessories to USB-C? Yes, I think most consumers would like that and it would be good for their business. Should they be forced to by government regulation? No.

 

[NotTooLate]

Technically you could add more pins to the port as long as the port remained physically compatible and the charging pins didnt change. USB-A did this to support USB 3 speeds. Thunderbolt over the same connector proves that the connector has some versatility, but, ultimately, even that could be short-lived as we don't know for sure if TB 5 can support the same connector. I would much rather see companies invest R&D in new wireless charging and data tech than physical cables anyway as that is the more likely and most useful future.

Sure , but where does it stop , who decides what is the future ? if the EU can decide what ports companies will use , maybe the EU can make DX12 a mandatory API for graphics , thus making MS share it with the world , it would be great for the gaming industry if everyone used the same API for game development , making games for different API`s PS5 , Nintendo , PC/Xbox (only 2 that share for obvious reasons) , Mac , Android , its all so distributed !!! that way we would get gaming on Mac over night !!

Once you make everyone use the same thing , nothing new will be developed in that space as there will be no market to sell it at if countries just block it.

Part of what great about capitalism (it has soooo many downsides , dont get me wrong) is that endless competition to be on top , beat your competitors on the business side but also on the technical side , telling the tech world that we basically ended the competition for cable connections is a sad day with a very bad precedent.

 

[MysticCow]

Do you believe consumers/corporations should have a choice about their AC power plug and socket?

Yep. See, you can't be about CHOICE and only accept one kind of CHOICE. Let the markets decide. Once the CHOICE is made, then time and technology can march on.

 

[siddavis]

When Apple forces users to use outdated and expensive cables for the sake of profit indefinitely, I’m really unbothered by legislation that puts them in the right direction.

Forces users?! Are we all incompetent toddlers? BUY SOMETHING ELSE!