How did Apple manage to get around the EU rule about Micro-USB? And why does the EU not just grow a pair and mandate Micro-USB?
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How the EU allow Apple to get away with this?
- Thread starter BiggAW
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Apple had even bigger one's and are not including it in the box I read somewhere. (the usb adapter that is for the EU)
Micro-USB does not have the same two-way communication that the dock connector/Lightning has. For example, using the steering wheel controls in your car to control your device, and the device showing album and artist information on your car's dashboard/instrumentation panel.
I know, but isn't the intent of the law to have the plug on the phone itself.
What sorts of useless BS Apple's stupid proprietary connectors can supposedly do is not the point of this discussion. How the EU is applying it's law is. There is nothing stopping a manufacturer from having Micro-USB AND some giant, ugly proprietary piece of useless BS that customers can just ignore.
You never drove a car with steering wheel controls?
Used a remote with your iPhone dock?
Used the plethora of accessories such as iPhone battery packs, heart rate monitors, IR blasters, etc that only work with the iPhone because the port provides two way communication?
It seems like you only use your phone as a phone if you somehow can ignore this connector
Also, why would Apple add more ports to a device when they're all about cleaner lines?
It's called MHL and can be in the same plug as Micro USB.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_High-Definition_Link
But hey, we all know Apple. Proprietary wins any day because they get to charge licensing fees for accessories.
I don't see anything there that explains me being able to use steering wheel controls, or showing the information on my dash. I have never seen a car advertise having MHL. I have seen many cars with USB Ports or a straight up Apple connector.
MHL is a two-way standard. For example, with MHL TV, you can use TV remote to control a player on your phone. Steering wheel controls are about the same.
But steering wheel controls can work fine with bluetooth. I have no problem controlling audio (play, stop, next/previous track) via bluetooth audio streaming.
I do use Bluetooth streaming with my Prius with my current iPhone 4...The problem I am running into is the ability to select a specific song with the car itself....I have to plug it in, in order to do that. Looks like the Apple connector is the best method.
The original intent yes, but it was watered down before it made it onto the books. I remember being disappointed then, as this was the obvious result.
From http://http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/rtte/files/chargers/chargers_mou_en.pdf
Sucks, but Apple is complying with the letter of the law. Blame the politicians who presumably allowed one or more of the corporations that backed the proposal (and Apple was on that list) to convince them to allow adapters, basically making the law pointless.
No.
The Memorandum of Understanding that the various manufacturers signed up to states:
Which is the agreed common interface?
The companies have agreed to develop a common specification in order to allow for full compatibility of chargers and mobile phones on the basis of the Micro-USB interface. These specifications have been translated in European standards. The agreement allows for the use of an adaptor.
here
You never drove a car with steering wheel controls?
Used a remote with your iPhone dock?
Used the plethora of accessories such as iPhone battery packs, heart rate monitors, IR blasters, etc that only work with the iPhone because the port provides two way communication?
It seems like you only use your phone as a phone if you somehow can ignore this connector
Also, why would Apple add more ports to a device when they're all about cleaner lines?
I have literally never used the dock connector for anything other than syncing or charging.
That sucks. Yeah, it pretty much does, at leaset for iPhones. It seems to have worked for almost every other phone, and not just in the EU. The EU should have grown a pair and required Micro-USB on the device itself.
You may have used it for nothing other than Syncing and charging but what about others? Micro USB is a crappy connector that doesn't do anything but sync and charge
It's great. It's a standard. I wish the EU would grow a pair and mandate it's use on all phones. Then manufacturers could add whatever garbage proprietary ports in addition to, but it would establish a common baseline to start off with.
Yeah, we heard you the first three times you said it.
But if you want to continue basically cutting and pasting the same sentence over and over, you might get better results contacting the European Commission directly with your grievance.
http://ec.europa.eu/contact/local_offices_en.htm
A word of advice though: use a more diplomatic turn of phrase than "I wish you guys would grow a pair," if you expect to get any meaningful response.
In the meantime: go buy an adapter, or buy a different phone.
EDIT: Wait a minute... You're from Connecticut. What does it concern YOU what the EU does?
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Honestly screw the EU. Europe is failing for a reason. I hate to see American companies getting screw by the harsh EU regulations.
Why should politicians make product design and engineering decisions? It stifles innovation.
It may not seem like much, but having full design control over lightning allows apple to optimize internal space and make such a thin phone, whilst also allowing the user to insert the plug ether way.
Yes, it's proprietary, and they will make a ton in licensing fees, its a business decision and that's their perogative!
It may not seem like much, but having full design control over lightning allows apple to optimize internal space and make such a thin phone, whilst also allowing the user to insert the plug ether way.
Yes, it's proprietary, and they will make a ton in licensing fees, its a business decision and that's their perogative!
You shouldn't make something like this into law, laws take forever to get changed, especially if a faster more efficient connector could come out in the future. What if the EU mandated the RCA jack for video, and the VGA port, DVI, and HDMI are miles better? What about the credit-card sized SIM cards? What if THOSE were mandated, and we wouldn't have Mini, Micro, or Nano-SIM at all.
Grow a pair my ass. More like dumb restrictions so we will still see this crappy connector in the year 2030, and all it'll do is stifle innovation FOR THE WORLD. Because it'll drive up manufacturing costs for even American, or Asian products, even though they're unaffected by the law, they aren't going to make the connectors different for each region, unless its the power connector..(THIS is something I wish WAS standardized. Why can a USB port look the same in the EU as the US, same with FireWire, same with Ethernet, same with Coaxial, same with HDMI, but not POWER?....I don't care about the technicalities...make it happen Governments!!)
There is an eBay seller in Germany who has the microUSB to Lightning adapters, $50. I was considering one since I have a ton of microUSB cables but I just can't see spending $50. It does include shipping states side though.
I just wish Apple was a bit more classy and sold that adapter in the US as well.
I just wish Apple was a bit more classy and sold that adapter in the US as well.
Because the EU is bankrupt and they need the VAT from Apple sales more than Apple needs the EU?
It's your wish. My wish is not to use crappy micro-USB connectors. Lighting connectors offer superior functionality like the ability to directly control accessories from the iPhone. It will deliver a rich variety of third party accessories. It is more durable than any other connectors. Micro-USB connectors is also too crappy to meet the power requirements for iPad 3.
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