European Lawmakers Want to Force All Smartphones to Have Same Charging Port, Apple Defends Lightning

[EsTriFee]

While I love the idea of having 1 port and type of cable, I can't be the only one that isn't a fan of USB-C specfiically the way it's a bit loose and gets looser over time.

Lighting port on my iPhone has never had any issues and i love how securely it stays in place with 0 wiggle even after having the phone for 4 or more years, where as the ports on my macbook pro have all had stuff accidentally disconnect when i go to move something ( like really... who needs magsafe when my charging cable pops out if i bump the cable or move the laptop a bit) and sometimes like charging it will stay in the port but move out just enough for it to stop charging but not enough for me to notice it's unplugged and then I'll realize a couple hours later that the laptop wasn't charging the entire time.

I wish it was possible to use lighting for everything or something of at least similar durability as a port.

 

[Tech198]

Wouldn't it just be better for people just not to upgrade their phones?

Problem solved.

Obviously the solution is to make android phones adopt lightning ports.

The obvious effect is to force people to think for themselves. All NEW phones to have the same port.. You can't change what's already out. But people can decide weather they need a new phone.

Give the EU what it wants, and as long as you people still sell phones on eBay, then everyone will be happy.

 

[2979382]

instead of designing our products for us, why don't they figure out how to design laws that discourage such outcomes? their laws have failed us and given us oligopolies in all areas of the economy.

Unfortunately these lawmakers are not technical people. All they see is one hole is different from the other holes, so they're like "Why doesn't my dongle fit in your hole?" and they sit down in big meeting rooms, spend taxpayer money to discuss and decide about the hole.

 

[BuffaloTF]

USB-C might put the fragility of Micro USB to shame leading to fewer replacements... but it still isn't as rigid as Lightning is and can be bent and made non-functional. I'm not against a shift to that connector, but we certainly need some better quality from it.

 

[WozniakDestroyTimCook]

THE USB-C PORT MIGHT BE TOO THICK FOR APPLE SMARTPHONE?!

 

[revmacian]

Lawmakers really need to learn to keep their nose out of certain areas. Their arrogance causes their ignorance to make things worse for everyone.

 

[Ma2k5]

This is a VERY bad idea. How do we ever move beyond USB C if the entire industry has to move at the same time?? USB C isn't the best port that will ever be invented.

Why would you want the port to change? The USB underlying sure will be improved as years come, but that doesn't require us to change the port.

Perhaps you are thinking it could be made smaller in the future? Perhaps I guess.
[automerge]1579013261[/automerge]

Lawmakers really need to learn to keep their nose out of certain areas. Their arrogance causes their ignorance to make things worse for everyone.

I don't think it would be so bad. Right now at home I have two chargers which each have 3 cables coming out of them to support multiple different charging protocols, unnecessarily. If I could charge my MacBook Air, iPad and iPhone with the same cable that'd be awesome.

 

[Ronlap]

What a waste of law making energy. Im guessing the European Parliament has nothing better to do if they are making laws like this.

And people wonder why the UK wants out of the EU so badly. The EU "masters" seem to be cut from the same cloth as Michael Bloomberg -- they all know what's better for you and force you to follow their guidelines. No more Big Slurps and a 2-pin charger for every phone.

 

[cube]

And people wonder why the UK wants out of the EU so badly. The EU "masters" seem to be cut from the same cloth as Michael Bloomberg -- they all know what's better for you and force you to follow their guidelines. No more Big Slurps and a 2-pin charger for every phone.

Only a minority voted in favour of Brexit.

 

[nsayer]

There comes a point where the costs of selling to a market that insists on micromanaging, nanny-state nonsense like this exceeds its value.

Keep it up, Europe, and Britain won't be the only one leaving.

 

[Ma2k5]

There comes a point where the costs of selling to a market that insists on micromanaging, nanny-state nonsense like this exceeds its value.

Keep it up, Europe, and Britain won't be the only one leaving.

This change helps both consumers and the environment (less electrical waste as cables don't become redundant because your new product supports a different protocol). Not sure why people are so against it.

As someone from Britain, if you look at the world, who is more progressive economically, socially and in terms of environmental responsibility as much as Europe? Who completes with Europe in terms of healthcare, wealth fare and workers rights? Who ensures products meet a certain standard to be safe more than Europe?

Is Europe perfect? No, neither is democracy. But just like democracy, Europe is the best alternative .

 

[Morgenland]

The legislature should stay out of it. Apple's decision in favor of Lightning was a very good one at the time, in order to be able to offer an extremely small plug very early on, which also has a transmission speed on the mobile phone that is sufficient for eternity. Also the cable cross-section also allows technically speedy charging.

 

[deeddawg]

I doubt it. A lot of people take their phones on long car journeys, and most cars won't be offering wireless charging within the next five years.

Just in to comment that Qi charging phone mounts are available and work fine for (slowly) charging a phone even while using it to navigate. So there's no need for the *car* to have the capability.

(and I doubt we'll see a portless phone anytime soon)

 

[V_Man]

Sorry, I should have said I don't agree with the proposed law on this one. Oh wait, I did! Perhaps you should read things twice before making snarky replies, cos it makes you look a bit silly.

That’s his specialty.

 

[deeddawg]

This change helps both consumers and the environment (less electrical waste as cables don't become redundant because your new product supports a different protocol). Not sure why people are so against it.

Because such a regulation effectively disallows any future innovation beyond that specified port/protocol.

Government regulations are *horrid* at keep up with the pace of technology.

I say this having learned to code on then-current Apple ][ computers and working in / watching IT since then.

 

[Ma2k5]

Because such a regulation effectively disallows any future innovation beyond that specified port/protocol.

Government regulations are *horrid* at keep up with the pace of technology.

I say this having learned to code on then-current Apple ][ computers and working in / watching IT since then.

I don’t think you understand the regulation.

It isn’t stifling innovation, it is saying all the tech companies should use the same standard to avoid waste - not to not innovate. If a better standard comes, they are free to change all their products to that new standard.

There is no reason the iPad and iPhone can’t have the same charger for example and despite Apple complaining here, even they understand this as they will homogenise then in the next year or two.

Apple understands the regulation which is why they didn’t say it stifles competition - they do however understand they will have to bare added costs to make sure their legacy accessories still work (aka dongles). Hopefully now you see why their is resistance.

 

[deeddawg]

It isn’t stifling innovation, it is saying all the tech companies should use the same standard to avoid waste - not to not innovate. If a better standard comes, they are free to change all their products to that new standard.

See - that's just it - for there to be a change, it must be a standard and all the manufacturers must agree to make that change. Thus this prevents one company from developing something innovative as competitive advantage.

... and when the companies can't come to agreement on a standard, who then chooses which applies? The courts?

The USB standards for USBC are a complete mess -- very poor clarity to the end user as to what cables can handle what capabilities. I can hand you three USBC cables and you'd be hard pressed to figure out which one supports nothing faster than USB2.0 speed data, which one supports USB3 (or which of the myriad flavors), which one supports Thunderbolt, or which one supports high wattage charging.

On a different note - I'm curious on the waste angle -- In the past five years, how many chargers or cables have you been forced to throw out because your new phone or table couldn't work with them?

I can't think of any I've had become obsolete since the 2012 transition from the 30 pin connector.

So how much of the cited volume of e-waste is actually due to users being unable to use the old charger or cable and how much is merely due to someone buying a new multi-charger to replace an old single-port or other similar voluntary waste?

 

[ivan_ua]

An excellent idea.

Several years ago, (in the days before smart phones became such a feature of the phone landscape), I seem to recall that the EU compelled mobile phone companies to sell phones with adaptors and chargers that could be used on one another's models.

Until then, everyone had ended up with a dozen useless and obsolete adaptors & chargers at home, in drawers and on desks, for each brand sold adaptors and chargers that could only be used with that brand alone, and with certain, specific models.

Yup! And the result was that Apple was selling an adapter Lightning-to-MicroUSB for 9.99EUR in Europe. You still able to find that one at some big electronic retailer in Europe as nobody had necessity to buy that one. I think this all regulations is BS. Yesterday they were enforcing microUSB and today they are forcing USB-C/TB. Everybody knows that bureaucracy is slower than technology by design. So what OEM's have to do in this case, still produce devices with potentially obsolete ports and standards just to comply with extremely dated regulations?(it was just a rhetoric question )

This is not only about this particular case. It is everywhere, a good example where modern music distribution is based on legislation written probably in late 19th century...

 

[Ma2k5]

‘x

 

[cmwade77]

There is absolutely zero excuse for iPhones to use lightning connectors, all new phones should be using USB-C, as should all mobile devices and in fact all laptops should be using USB-C for charging as well.

USB-C is by far the superior port type, but Apple doesn't like it, because it isn't proprietary and they won't sell as many cables.

And if this law gets passed, they need to make sure that companies can't get around it by simply providing adapters, the phones must get USB-C ports built-in.

 

[I7guy]

I see no reason to force those who want to stay with lightning to switch over. USB-C is the flavor of the month anyway as in a few years, there will be some change.

So adapters for those who really want USB-C on their iphones.

 

[cube]

USB-C is the flavor of the month anyway as in a few years, there will be some change.

USB is not the flavour of the month. Lightning is.

 

[I7guy]

USB is not the flavour of the month. Lightning is.

USB-C not USB is the flavor of the month. A 7 year standard is not flavor of the month.

 

[cube]

USB-C not USB is the flavor of the month. A 7 year standard is not flavor of the month.

USB-C is the evolution of USB, which started 24 years ago. Nothing better is foreseen.

 

[I7guy]

USB-C is the evolution of USB. Nothing better is foreseen.

That's not the way tech seems to work. Something better is always on the horizon.