The EU Wants All Phones to Work With Interoperable Chargers, Here’s What That Means for Apple's Lightning Port

[recoil80]

So, what would new customers who have never used the particular brand of phone do?

We'll still need cables, sometimes they break or you could change brand. It could be an option during the online purchase. You need the cable? They can ship you one with the phone, if you don't, you save money. Same for the earphones.
Shipping only the phone would require a smaller box, so they could ship more phone in the same cargo. Even that would be environment friendly

 

[I7guy]

....What matters is that we are starting somewhere.

What matters is bureacracy is being inserted into the path of innovation.

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

The point I'm trying to make is that the sooner companies adopt a universal charging system, the better. What that universal system is should be decided by all companies together. If they can't decide then lawmakers should intervene.

Some people try to downplay this as just a stupid decision or something trivial. In reality this is a small step towards reducing waste. Small or big does not matter. What matters is that we are starting somewhere.

As far as I aware, that has already happened. Android phones are pretty universally using USB-C for all their medium to high end devices. Apple are the odd one out here.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Glad I don't live in the EU!

Maybe they should regulate that all auto's have the same size wheels and tires.

 

[Mailia]

Maybe they should regulate that all auto's have the same size wheels and tires.

Fun fact: cars are heavily regulated.

Another fun fact: cars sold in the United States of America must have bigger airbags that launch with more force than in the EU since the EU regulation is based on the occupants wearing a seatbelt and the American regulation is based on the occupants being unbelted. This is the reason airbags are one of the many things that car manufacturers need to remake when selling cars in the land of free and home of the people that can't be trusted to use a seatbelt.

 

[cmaier]

Fun fact: cars are heavily regulated.

Another fun fact: cars sold in the United States of America must have bigger airbags that launch with more force than in the EU since the EU regulation is based on the occupants wearing a seatbelt and the American regulation is based on the occupants being unbelted. This is the reason airbags are one of the many things that car manufacturers need to remake when selling cars in the land of free and home of the people that can't be trusted to use a seatbelt.

That’s not quite true. The federal motor vehical safety standard (FMVSS) doesn’t mandate any particular force, but instead is focused on outcomes (i.e. preventing injuries), assuming belted and unbelted passengers of various sizes, both in-position and out of position. This means, for example, that U.S. airbags will actually reduce the force of airbag impact in certain situations, like when a person is seated out-of-position.

Here’s the actual regulation: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se49.6.571_1208

 

[swm]

USB C being too big for iPhones is laughable.

the usb-c socket is a lot thicker than the lightning one.

 

[ddtmm]

Finally. Say goodbye to the disposable $20 charging cables. What a scam...

 

[theviewer19855]

Omg Apple.. just use USB c on your iPhones. There is NO argument not to!!

Is lightening better? Then why do your Macbooks use USB c...

 

[cmaier]

Omg Apple.. just use USB c on your iPhones. There is NO argument not to!!

Is lightening better? Then why do your Macbooks use USB c...

Because the current requirements for MacBooks are higher than for phones. Ohm’s Law is a harsh mistress.

USB-C is a far worse connector than lightning when it comes to reliability.

 

[ddtmm]

It’d be great if the EU could try and tackle corporate tax avoidance and the lack of data privacy we as consumers have. You know, important things.

I'm sure that's next... And Apple will be at the top of that list too.

 

[cmaier]

I'm sure that's next... And Apple will be at the top of that list too.

Yeah. How dare they pay the tax bill that the countries they are in send them.

 

[springsup]

By 2016, the Commission acknowledged that micro-USB had become dated and that USB-C had become the de facto standard across most devices. The Commission was advised by MoU facilitators that all manufacturers were ready to sign a new agreement in line with different approaches but keeping the solution of using solely USB-C connectors – except Apple

This is so stupid. If they'd legislated and mandated micro-USB, we wouldn't have USB-C (or it certainly wouldn't be as widespread).

Are laptops also required by law to only use a specific kind of charger? Are PCs mandated to use a specific kind of power cable?

The EU see that technology is an increasingly large part of our lives, and they want to try and worm their way in to look relevant. They had some success with abolishing roaming fees (which was never a technical problem - just a case of businesses getting greedy), and now they think they should be designing their own smartphones.

This is not the kind of thing they should be doing 🤦‍♂️

In considering wireless charging as a potential solution, the Commission concluded that it was an "incipient technology" with around 60 percent energy efficiency, whereas wired technologies are close to 100 percent efficiency.

Again, this is absolutely not the sort of thing that legislators (who know absolutely nothing about this technology) should be debating. It's up to manufacturers to decide if they want to implement wireless charging or not, whether or not it's worthwhile and what the pros and cons are. Maybe some of them can develop more efficient ways to do it. That's the kind of thing consumers should weigh up before they purchase a product.

 

[Defthand]

Except for your electric shaver. And your toaster. And your curling iron. And every other electrical appliance that requires a different wall cord depending on which country you are in in the EU (and sometimes which town you are in in that country).

There. You just illustrated why standardization of an ubiquitous utility is better for everyone. Can you imagine how complicated the electric utility grid would be if both DC and AC solutions coexisted?

It’s obvious from the comments that the usual fanboys are opposed to standards because it isn’t Apple’s solution. I doubt they would oppose it if Lightning were the proposed standard.

 

[cmaier]

There. You just illustrated why standardization of an ubiquitous utility is better for everyone. Can you imagine how complicated the electric utility grid would be if both DC and AC solutions coexisted?

It’s obvious from the comments that the usual fanboys are opposed to standards because it isn’t Apple’s solution. I doubt they would oppose it if Lightning were the proposed standard.

But Europe does NOT standardize power outlets. (And, by the way, in the U.S. there are still DC outlets, for example in NY city. The market took care of making AC the de facto standard, though— the government didnt have to do it).

It makes sense to standardize when technology is not moving fast. By forcing a standard when technology is moving fast, you cause stagnation. Europe first tried to impose mini-USB as the phone charging standard. Where would we be today if they had succeeded? What future innovations do we lose if Europe now insists on USB-C?

 

[kmann1983]

What imaginary rules are those?

The ones that let them put in an adapter. Apple followed the letter of the law and not the spirit. This is malicious on their part, in my opinion. We both know the only reason Apple is clinging on the Lightning right now is money related.

I am surprised with the amount of posts that are okay with this overreaching of government.

Last time the government did this -- it MASSIVELY helped the consumer.
Do you honestly miss the days of every different phone having a unique and proprietary charger? In what manner do you think that benefited the customer? Clearly, literally, none of those were innovative since they were so casually replaced with {micro/mini}-USB.

 

[cmaier]

The ones that let them put in an adapter. Apple followed the letter of the law and not the spirit. This is malicious on their part, in my opinion. We both know the only reason Apple is clinging on the Lightning right now is money related.

What are you talking about? Absent a law that says they can’t use lightning, they aren’t violating any rule by using lightning. The “letter of the law” is the law. That’s where the rules come from. Is everyone else violating your imaginary rules by using “usb-c” when the “spirit” of the european regulations was to promote micro-usb?

I’ve never seen such a convoluted line of thinking.

 

[orthorim]

How DARE they try to reduce e-waste, make charging cables universal and make the customer experience better in one FOUL swoop. The NERVE OF IT!

You must not be from the EU...

Hello? These are the same people who have defined the curvature of a Banana?!!

Thanks to the EU every last website now has a cookies popup - which no one reads, but which cost time and money for lawyers (!), developers, product managers, everyone, and it wastes my time every time I have to click one away. Has it made life better for anyone or caused less cookies? No, it has not. It's just annoying everyone.

If the EU wants this: " reduce cost, electronic waste and make consumers' lives easier" - then, being from the EU, you can be pretty sure that none of that will be the case.

They'll make some confusing regulations that regulate stuff nobody gives a **** about, but which will make it more expensive for manufacturers, who will then pass along that price increase to consumers.

EU is basically the same corruption as the US government, except they have less elections, they're not really elected, they just sit around thinking up regulations, which are then binding for member states, so the elected governments of these member states have to follow the rules set by the un-elected bureaucrats. The sooner that system is gone the better. Its cool to have no border checks and a common currency but the rest we need to just get rid of.

 

[Mailia]

Europe first tried to impose mini-USB as the phone charging standard. Where would we be today if they had succeeded?

Right here since the MoU first expired in 2012 was only extended by the agreement of its signatories. Meanwhile USB-C handsets started coming out in 2015.
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Hello? These are the same people who have defined the curvature of a Banana?!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromyth#Straight_bananas

 

[cmaier]

Right here since the MoU first expired in 2012 was only extended by the agreement of its signatories. Meanwhile USB-C handsets started coming out in 2015.

Way to not get the point.

 

[Mailia]

Way to not get the point.

Do explain in detail how EU ruined the adaptation of USB-C forever and ever, since I don't really get how it works.

 

[fairuz]

This comment is very ignorant. Europe has innovated and innovates in a lot of fields, including software and technology.

For a continent of 740M mostly in highly developed nations, or less if you only include western Europe, barely. I should actually qualify more and say just electronic/software since there's been a good amount in mechanical engineering, but then again Germany's automakers are now getting rightfully destroyed by Tesla because somehow they couldn't make electric cars until a startup taught them how.
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Which is a blatent lie as Apple has put USB-C on the latest iPads which are thinner than the latest iPhones.

The issue might be total space rather than just one dimension. But I think it's a lie too. They can put USB-C on iPhones and are just taking a while to get to it.

 

[Dean_UK]

The only reason Apple want to use Lightning is so they can make money on licensing it to third parties for accessories and the like.

About time we had a standard connection, nothing wrong with everyone using USB C for now and agreeing future standards together like is done for HDMI etc.

 

[kmann1983]

What if a company wants to create a new plug to provide better/enhanced capabilities as a competitive advantage and thereby draw more consumers? Say it's a upstart company with some really clever ideas?

How does that work in such a framework? It doesn't.

It does and, more importantly, DID.
Basically many companies agreed to go micro-USB. Now they are migrating to USB-C.
Apple is stuck with the aging Lightning port. Guess which one is losing? Guess which one only impacts Apple's "free" money grab?

Last time standards where enforced -- it heavily benefited the customer. Why do you believe this time it won't? Clearly the two groups that manage this are

What are you talking about? Absent a law that says they can’t use lightning, they aren’t violating any rule by using lightning. The “letter of the law” is the law. That’s where the rules come from. Is everyone else violating your imaginary rules by using “usb-c” when the “spirit” of the european regulations was to promote micro-usb?

I’ve never seen such a convoluted line of thinking.

So, to be clear and before I go further, you don't understand the difference between the letter of a law and the spirit of a law? If not, I'll explain if you need because I can't tell if you're being dense on purpose or actually genuinely don't know of such a thing.

 

[fairuz]

Last time the government did this -- it MASSIVELY helped the consumer.
Do you honestly miss the days of every different phone having a unique and proprietary charger? In what manner do you think that benefited the customer? Clearly, literally, none of those were innovative since they were so casually replaced with {micro/mini}-USB.

Mini and micro USB WERE the innovation, and they replaced the others without regulation.