what if you forgot the adapter at home? isn't that the core idea that if you forgot your adapter/charger you don't have to worry.
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European Commission Set to Adopt Universal Micro-USB Smartphone Charging Standard in January
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what if you forgot the adapter at home? isn't that the core idea that if you forgot your adapter/charger you don't have to worry.
OK, first of all it's not a government.
Second, they didn't dictate the standard - they dictated there must be a standard and the industry decided on what that standard would be
Third, there's nothing to stifle innovation - this is just a charger. If a company wants to use a single interface for charging and other functionality, then it just needs to provide an adapter that allows charging via a USB connector. This doesn't even have to be the only way of charging the phone.
Geddit?
This is perfectly fine. In fact, this will lead to an increase in revenue for Apple. They can sell you the charger instead of including it for free. And judging from the reaction to the Apple Battery Charger, you bet your bottom dollar there will be people on this very board drooling over it instead of a 3rd party adaptor.
No, the core idea is to reduce the massive amount of perfectly functional chargers getting junked just because the phone the came with is dead and they won't fit the owner's new phone. The potential convenience is just a secondary benefit.
For one, they're not going to pass that savings on to me (unless you're naive enough to believe the price of an iPhone or Android will be reduced by the $5-$15 a charger costs the company), so I'll be paying more and getting less.
For two, the accumulation of chargers (especially for iDevices) allows me to keep chargers in multiple locations -- one in my car, one in my office, one at home, etc. When we stop getting chargers, I'll be forced to buy multiple chargers if I want to keep them at different lcoations.
Bah - those crypto-communist Europeans. Always trying to stop honest-to-goodness corporations fleecing their customers with their pro-consumer regulations 
.
.Where can I address my "Thank you" letter to the EU for saving me from the horrors of having an extra wire or two lurking in a closet or in a desk drawer?
I mean -- the sheer awfulness of having to throw away a 2' cable every couple years is just overwhelming to me as a person. I'll be glad to have those 4 seconds of my life back.
Yes, I believe that's the intention, ergo less electronic waste piling up in toxic heaps in India.
Where can I address my "Thank you" letter to the EU for saving me from the horrors of having an extra wire or two lurking in a closet or in a desk drawer?
I mean -- the sheer awfulness of having to throw away a 2' cable every couple years is just overwhelming to me as a person. I'll be glad to have those 4 seconds of my life back.
Do you really think they're doing this for you personally, or do you have any idea about what is involved in safely disposing of a phone charger?
Stop making stuff up. The MoU specifically states that an adapter is sufficient, and also that the signatory companies have the right to sell non-compliant devices if they wish to.
Yes, actually, they will, although I don't know that the costs are quite that high. There's this thing called the "market," where manufacturers compete vigorously on the basis of price....
You apparently think you're getting the chargers for free now, which makes you the naive one.
Government has often gotten involved in enforcing standards, and it often turns out for the better. It encourages adoption, it protects consumers, and it reduces waste.
There was a time when we had two competing television broadcast standards in the US. You had to choose which television you bought based on which networks you wanted to watch. The feds stepped in because it was ridiculous.
Most countries enforce the use of the metric system. It has helped international business immensely to have an international standard by which products are measured.
The EU enforces the use of GSM. Yes, it might have limitations compared to CDMA, but if you look at the US we have so many more cell phone towers because we need different ones for different technologies. Cell phone use saturated the EU long before the US.
This isn't preventing Apple from innovating, it is just an additional obstacle that they have to overcome for the greater good. That's what regulations are for. They might have to add another port on the side, or they might have to figure out how to do audio and video through the micro USB port, or they might have to include an awkward adapter.
There was a time when we had two competing television broadcast standards in the US. You had to choose which television you bought based on which networks you wanted to watch. The feds stepped in because it was ridiculous.
Most countries enforce the use of the metric system. It has helped international business immensely to have an international standard by which products are measured.
The EU enforces the use of GSM. Yes, it might have limitations compared to CDMA, but if you look at the US we have so many more cell phone towers because we need different ones for different technologies. Cell phone use saturated the EU long before the US.
This isn't preventing Apple from innovating, it is just an additional obstacle that they have to overcome for the greater good. That's what regulations are for. They might have to add another port on the side, or they might have to figure out how to do audio and video through the micro USB port, or they might have to include an awkward adapter.
I generally don't care. It's a drop in the ocean compared the massive amounts of waste we commit on a daily basis elsewhere in society. This kind of feel-good crap is akin to a serial killer patting himself on the back because he dropped some loose change into the "feed the children" jug at the gas station.
And, in this particular case, it's a meaningless gesture that allows companies to put more money in their pockets AND inconveniences me (by forcing me to buy extra chargers to keep around).
Why wouldn't I think this dumb?
Where does it say they can't have the 30-pin connector on the phone? It doesn't say that at all.
They won't drop the 30-pin anytime soon.
I'll guarantee you that the first new phones that debut with the "EU-Approved" charger will still be at the $99 / $199 / $299 pricing tiers. I'm still paying for the charger, I'm just not getting it.
The connector may physically fit all iPad/iPhone/iTouch models, but 3G onwards requires specific resistances between USB pins to initiate charging.
(Enjoy your royalties, USB consortium... I guess it's a way of saying thank you to Intel for payment of its £1 billion fine for the crime of not having sufficient lobbyists while doing business in the EU. Assuming they'll pay.)
The FCC already does that by forcing people to design phones with the aerial at the bottom.
And there is also the fact that EU legislation is usually very effective and sensible, such as their energy labels, their car emissions standards (which have been copied by the leading developing nations) and ROHS.
The fact that its micro USB means that anyone can make a charger that is compatible. So you'll be able to get a no-name one from China for $1 or so. And it'll work in all your phones so you won't have to get a new charger in the future.
Oh dear. So let me get this straight, the bureaucrats in Brussels are fascists because they interfere in business? Really?
That made me laugh.
Companies very rarely do anything unless they see a financial advantage to doing it, even if it would be in the consumers best interests. This is why we need governments to make sure that companies think about more than just money.
Bah - those crypto-communist Europeans. Always trying to stop honest-to-goodness corporations fleecing their customers with their pro-consumer regulations
I think this step was long overdue. I have a lot of different, incompatible chargers from different manufacturers at home and the only way to get rid of them is to throw them away. I won't be needing them, since I don't possess the phones anymore. Without this regulation, your so called "honest-to-goodness" corporations would never adopt a standard and we would be collecting more useless adapters for the next decade. This regulation is not really harming the corporations, and the consumers benefit from this.
Besides: if I ever need a new charger, I can buy one without Apple tax, since they are all technically the same. :]
This is a stupid standard.
Thanks Europe. Just make handset manufacturers be required to include a charging cable with their device. This is just dumb and stifles the ability for phones to do more with their charging ports like Apple does.
It is silly and unnecessary. Who was demanding this change?
Thanks Europe. Just make handset manufacturers be required to include a charging cable with their device. This is just dumb and stifles the ability for phones to do more with their charging ports like Apple does.
It is silly and unnecessary. Who was demanding this change?
Separate data/charge and audio/video ports
An Iphone hardware update still bears the opportunity to switch from the proprietary Dock Connector to a Micro USB (3?) socket (min 3.0*8.0mm) for data and charging and a Mini Display Port socket (min. 5.4*8.3mm) for digital AV. There would be adapters for Dock Connector plug to µUSB+MDP.
They could also adopt PDMI (2.5*22mm), but they wont of course. And Light Peak.
Yes, adapters are allowed and this probably is what Apple will provide. The major use case is not I can charge at a friends, but I dont get a new charger with my phone (i.e. manufacturers replace chargers by adapters or nothing, consumers use regular USB ports on their computers or they buy a charger separately).
An Iphone hardware update still bears the opportunity to switch from the proprietary Dock Connector to a Micro USB (3?) socket (min 3.0*8.0mm) for data and charging and a Mini Display Port socket (min. 5.4*8.3mm) for digital AV. There would be adapters for Dock Connector plug to µUSB+MDP.
They could also adopt PDMI (2.5*22mm), but they wont of course. And Light Peak.