This is such non-sense. If you want to reduce waste, stop companies bundling chargers in the first place and don’t stop with mobiles but extend a standard across all electronic devices. Why my toothbrush needs a proprietary charger is beyond me. I have 20 cables and 8 power bricks doing the exact same job. That’s the problem, not having usb c and lightning. This is just idiotic.
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The EU Wants All Phones to Work With Interoperable Chargers, Here’s What That Means for Apple's Lightning Port
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Won't it be nice having a bunch of bureaucrats deciding what technology gets deployed. At some point a new connector and/or charging method will appear on the scene providing improvements to the user experience. You already know what the response of the bureaucrats will be. They'll form a commission to study the matter for a few years before they decide to "allow" the technology to be deployed. Think about that scenario all you who support this regulation. Here on MacRumors I think the reason this is supported is to force Apple to conform against its will.
Government intervention being slow wouldn't really be a problem after implementation. The government wouldn't even have to intervene because everyone would just adopt USB-D than E etc.... or whatever standard that place. The only slow part is just getting them there in the first place.
Apple was actually one of the first to ship universal chargers. The post-firewire iPod chargers still work with any phone as long as you have a correct cable ready. Cables are much more abundant and everybody has a mixture of cables at their hand, including some short cables that fit into your coin pocket. After all, phone ports do so much more than just charge the device. You need bandwidth, security, durability and micro-usb was definitely not delivering that.
Last time I checked the "EU" had zero say over a sovereign country like the U.S. and a private company like Apple. Let a worldwide tech consortium establish any worldwide tech standards, not a bunch of unelected and unaccountable politicians. I am for standards, but not as a dictate from any government.
If standardization and regulation were the name of the game then the Macintosh would never have been allowed to come into being. The world would have standardized on Windows and many here would like that to happen to this day. I've never seen a tech blog so full of hatred for a company as MacRumors, with comments coming from people who neither own nor use Apple products.
Different folks have different perceptions of how easily/quickly government will updated/amend regulations as new proposed technologies are conceived.
- Some think there won't be any barriers to new tech making it to the market, and the the government influence will be good to ensure a level playing field.
- Others think bureaucrats move slow as molasses and will be strongly influenced by lobbying money to maintain status quo.
Correct, the EU does not.
However, it is not an insignificant market -- and manufacturers are unlikely to manufacture multiple designs/connectors on a core product. Should it come to pass that all electronics to be sold in EU must have a USB Type C port, then Apple will likely have to choose between abandoning Lightning on their products or abandoning the EU market. Or they could hit a mix of the two and have a subset of products available in the EU while offering the full array elsewhere.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Especially in a few years time - will the EU mire the world in Type C?
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It is still slower and substantially less efficient than wired charging. Which makes a difference in some scenarios / use-cases.
Don't misunderstand, I'm a big fan of Qi charging and use it daily. I just doubt we'll see it as the sole option on a cellphone anytime soon.
Because to me this is change for changes sake. I don’t see any benefit to scrapping all the chargers and cables.
Apple should of dumped lightening about 3 years ago, as USB-C became a standard. I have an iPad Pro that supports USBC, a new MacBook Pro that is USBC, an iMac that supports USB-C. Instead Apple gives us Lightening and we have to buy a unique cable to connect/charge our phones. Not to mention the pathetic situation with the headphones that come with a new iPhone will not work with any other Apple device. Pull the band-aid off that is lightening already and let's get to the USB-C.
So it’s taken this gov’t consortium nearly ten years to get to this point and you want to entrust them to keep up with technology? It will take years for all the mfg to agree on the next standard and then even longer to lobby the EU to make the change.
Using the gov’t to force companies just to make it convenient for you today will cost you in the long run. Innovation stops or slows to a crawl when the gov’t legislates.
For instance, in Europe, there are fewer restrictions in headlight design than in the US. As a result, European vehicles get better lights and technology than the US years in advance bc manufacturers have to convince the NHTSA to adopt new changes or laws.
Using the gov’t to force companies just to make it convenient for you today will cost you in the long run. Innovation stops or slows to a crawl when the gov’t legislates.
For instance, in Europe, there are fewer restrictions in headlight design than in the US. As a result, European vehicles get better lights and technology than the US years in advance bc manufacturers have to convince the NHTSA to adopt new changes or laws.
Good for the EU! The only reason Apple uses Lightning is so it can grab licensing fees from third party vendors. It has nothing to do with speed or capabilities. Apple needs to cut the crap.
Totally false. Many countries in the EU have banned fossil fuel vehicles beginning in 2030. Such regulations have done the exact opposite of what you describe, spurring tremendous innovation in battery technology and electric drivetrains. When private industry doesn't do the right thing by the environment and society in general, government steps in to protect the bigger picture.
You want domestic vehicle manufacturers to throw out all kinds of headlight designs, including laser, without first having it pass strict safety tests? I have no objection, none, to there being a tough standard on products that can kill you. Regulations are required and necessary. If you want the wild west, move to a third world country.
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It's sad that the government has to intervene to get Apple on board with standardization, and ultimately it comes down to selling accessories. I hope the EU fights this to the bitter end and gives us what we've all wanted for so long.
Plus its significantly bulkier when traveling it adds up to alot of unnecessary weight and bulk. I always carry backup cables just in case a wire goes bad, and also need to have others for my wife and our tablets, etc....
I'm the first to admit standardized charging connectors might be a benefit to some, but I totally disagree with what the EU Parliament did with this decision. This proves we no longer have a free market with consumers deciding what is best for themselves. Mark my words, this is a terrible precedent and it's going to have negative consequences on society for years to come.
And whats wrong with that? You have better oversight with quality control and also private businesses have every right to get royalties for their inventions.
MacRumors Forums: “Apple users want everything to go to USB-C so we can use the same cable for Mac, iPad and iPhone!”
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