I am pretty sure also that is getting fixed by a different EU refulation, which mandates a standard labelling for wattage output
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EU Spares Apple Maps and Apple Ads
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The EU is already undergoing a slow unification there (europlugs can enter almost all sockets), and most heavy-power devices have a E+F plug, which is accepted essentially everywhereWhat I wanna know is, why has t the EU gone after AC/DC power outlet types.
AC power plugs and sockets - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
What’s this, I have to have adapters as I move around different parts of the EU?
CarlJ
Contributor
Yep, and in addition, the EU had been working hard to make everyone put MicroUSB on their phones - if they had succeeded, USB-C would have never gotten its foot in the door. At most, what the EU did for USB-C iPhones was to move the existing schedule up a year.
CarlJ
Contributor
Wattage is arguably a bad system for labeling the cables, since the underlying differences are support for different voltage/amperage combinations - which is why we see things like "this 35 watt charger won't work but this 36 watt charger will" - it's not the 1watt difference, it's not "this cable is 1 better" (and you may find a case where the 35watt charger will work and the 36watt one won't.
Then, consider the companies that were founded in AND growing to prominence in the EU that the regulators targeted. They had the choice to either stay based in the EU and adopt changes that would limit their growth OR leave the region and become a world class source of revenue for some OTHER region. One can only HOPE that, in their decision to try to focus on using EU based company tech, that they recognize how the DMA will punish the companies that succeed in fulfilling that need. But, there are plenty of voices in the EU that believe that’s not likely to be the case and it will just be another cycle of exodus OR they will simply restrict their growth so they CAN’T be the EU solution they need.
I know, right? They literally handed over WhatsApp to Meta, then got upset because SOMEONE handed over WhatsApp to Meta. 🙂 It’s like regulators of the past are the biggest enemy to current regulators. 🙂
Which will be another mistake because everywhere else, USB-C cables will be expected to carry power AND data. Even if that data is of low capacity, it’s still efficient enough for a wide variety of use cases. The EU will be the region where it will be legal to sell cables with USB-C connectors that don’t meet the USB-C requirement to carry power and data. Got a bunch of cables that fail USB-IF certification? Slap an “EU ONLY” sticker on it, and you’re good!
Unintended Consequences, just a part of the EU regulatory experience. 🙂
Not even that, as the legislation was for 2024 and Apple changed according to their OWN timeline in 2023. Maybe if the EU had made the date 2022 or 2021? But, in those days, they were still reeling from the recognition that, despite their faults, the tech companies knew more about how to create the next charging/data delivery standard than EU regulators will EVER know.
They were like, “They ignored our Memorandum of Understanding for microUSB and made something better that all the tech companies have agreed to align on. While they delivered what we wanted (which was a common port) we DON’T like the fact that they didn’t go with what we chose, so we’re going to FORCE what they chose so we can say we made USB-C happen!”
Are these unintended consequences in this room with us?
surferfb
macrumors 68030
As someone who just had to click on yet another cookie acknowledgment popup despite living outside of the EU, yes, they're in the room with us.
The regulation is moving toward having a single setting in the browser which will be communicated to all sites visited
CarlJ
Contributor
I've noticed lately that most of the cookie banners that come up are already pre-filled with my choices (generally accept the necessary cookies, and deny the marketing/etc cookies), and it's simply a manner of avoiding the "accept all" button, clicking the "more options" (or similar), and then clicking "confirm my choices". This looks like a lot of sites are essentially subcontracting out their GDPR compliance popups.
surferfb
macrumors 68030
Only took 20 years. I suspect we’ll be stuck with USB-C for 20 years longer than we should be too, thanks to the EU mandating it.
And, if there had been anyone technical engaged from the start, there wouldn’t have needed to be a re-do. It would have been closer to what was expected with no unintended consequences. But, as this is ALSO being done without technical input, I’ve no doubt that it’ll be as bad, or worse.
I have a lightning iPhone and a usb-c iPad, which Apple sold at the same time before the EU regulation.
So I ask you, why was usab-c good enough for the tablets, and not for the phones?
That's because of malicious compliance, most sites implemented the worst-possible designs to discourage refusal
Non-Euclidean
macrumors 6502a
Translation: "We found the 14 people who actually use Apple Maps and they have no complaints."
surferfb
macrumors 68030
Apple was absolutely moving to USB on iPhone, just not as fast as some would have liked. The fact of the matter is when switching from 30-Pin to Lightening, Apple promised that Lightening would be the port for the next 10 years, and got raked over the coals by customers who thought moving from 30-Pin to Lightening was nothing more than a money grab. That was a transition to a significantly better port, Lightening to USB-C was a sideways move for most customers. Most users don't want new cables; my mother-in-law held off on upgrading to a new USB-C iPhone for like two years because she didn't want to have to change cables all over her house and car.
It made sense switching the iPad and Mac over first. iPad is much more of a computer than a phone is, and needs things like fast data transfer and compatibility with keyboards and other peripherals. I'd be shocked if more than 2% of iPhone users use the port for anything more than charging.
And now we're stuck with USB-C for all eternity now because no one has any incentive to develop a better port if it can't be used in Europe; once again proving the EU is completely unable to think through the actual end results of its regulations. "Let's freeze innovation because we're impatient". They should let the free market do its thing and leave hardware and software design to the professionals. We've already had phones limited in size by the USB-C port. And the regulation hasn't even been in place two years. And when Apple eventually releases a portless phone because it is physically impossible to fit a USB-C port in the phone, people on MacRumors will scream "malicious compliance" and "They're just trying to sell MagSafe pucks and AirPods". Well, why does anyone think Apple will spend the money to invent a "micro-USB-C" port if they can't put it on phones in Europe?
You know what the EU said about Micro-USB when they tried to force everyone to use that abomination of a port? "It's unlikely a better solution will come along soon." Why is everyone so convinced they are right about that now even though they were wrong about it ten years ago. The free market was working - we saw tons of people on MacRumors saying “I’ll never buy another phone without USB-C”. That’s how it’s supposed to work! Vote with your wallet. Don’t get regulators to come in and freeze innovation because you’re impatient.
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Regarding tech, the one thing everyone can be assured of regarding EU regulators is, “They’re wrong”. There may be glimmers of beneficial intent, but, with no tech understanding, whatever it is they want to do (whether it’s forcing a promising tech company out of the region, or legislating that telling users they’re being tracked by third parties) they’re not going to get it right.
Remember, if you pass a rule with enormous obvious holes that anyone with a grade school understanding of tech could see a mile away… when people start walking right through those holes, that’s NOT an issue with the initial legislation. That’s “malicious compliance”. 🙂 How DARE they do things we did not specifically legislate against? They should have KNOWN we didn’t want them to do that! Can’t they read our minds?