EU Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly in Favor of Charging Cable Standard, Despite Apple's Protestations (macrumors.com) 227
Despite criticism from Apple, EU lawmakers on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor for new rules to establish a common charger for all mobile device makers across Europe. From a report: Members of the European Parliament voted by 582-40 for a resolution urging the European Commission, which drafts EU laws, to ensure that EU consumers are no longer obliged to buy new chargers with each new device. The resolution said voluntary agreements in the industry had significantly reduced the number of charger types, but had not resulted in one common standard. The Commission should adopt new rules by July, the lawmakers' resolution said, calling for "an urgent need for EU regulatory action to reduce electronic waste, empower consumers to make sustainable choices, and allow them to fully participate in an efficient and well-functioning internal market." The proposed charging ports for portable devices include Micro-USB, USB-C, and the Lightning connector. Thursday's resolution didn't specify what the mobile charging standard should be, but non-Apple mobile devices and increasingly laptops and tablets are charged by USB-C, so the EU is highly unlikely to choose Apple's Lightning connector.
Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's make USB-C the standard. There is no reason for lightning to exist today, especially for a single vendor. Single vendor charging cables should be the first thing to be banned. Go EU!
Re:Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
What happens when USB-whatever-next-version-is-called is invented?
I'm assuming we won't be locked into USB-C for eternity.
Re:Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
I suppose a vendor could theoretically offer two charging ports, the one required by the EU plus whatever their new thing is. That would require additional space inside the phone, though.
Requiring a particular implementation seems like a shortsighted idea to me. Imagine if the government had passed this sort of law years ago, we'd all still be using PS/2 keyboards and mice today.
USB-C already solves this (Score:3)
A USB-C cable has 6 data pins, and 2 control pins (the others are power and ground). Lightning has just 4 data pins and 2 control pins. So far I have seen
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No...they'd just update the standard.
Why would they update the standard?
You develop a new port because you 1) can use it on your device, and 2) it offers some improvement over the old port.
Under this regulation, #1 is broken. So you don't develop a new port. Until USB-C is so utterly and fundamentally broken that you can get a standards body to come up with a new port 5-10 years after you really needed an upgrade.
Re:Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't know much about the hardware itself, since I'm not an engineering geek, but USB-C seems a good size for a charger generally, and whatever the current iteration is it's currently sending a signal to my two monitors while the laptop itself is charged, so it seems to have pretty robust power/info bandwidth. So it should last a pretty decent amount of time, and I would assume whatever the next iteration is it will be able to be backward compatible.
I mean, even if the standard changes every 15 or 20 years, that's still better than dealing with the status quo, which is mostly messed up by Apple.
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"What happens when USB-whatever-next-version-is-called is invented?"
The EU has voted for one standard, the standard can however evolve and change over time, with agreement of all parties (as other standards do).
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You're not from Europe. It will take *years* before they realize in 10 years that USB-C has become a terrible choice. As much as I despise Apple's position on this, they were right. Setting the charging format by law will just halt innovation.
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Oh fuck off. A charger provides a voltage and a current. There is no innovation needed in a connector that needs to do nothing more than connect + and - terminals to charge a battery.
The only "innovation" that's been going on has been to add proprietary shit to make a cable that should cost $2 somehow cost $20 instead.
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Well, you're more than welcome then using a molex connector or a 3.5mm barrel onto your phone. Maybe we should be backwards compatible with the PDP-11 power connectors too, since it doesn't matter what your connection is.
The rest of the world would like their connectors to not just charge, but also carry data, at increasingly high speeds.
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USB-C isn't perfect... but it is good enough. It supports bidirectional charging, data, audio, video, heck, even PCi-e lanes with Thunderbolt support.
The perfect is the enemy of the good in this case, and USB-C is "good enough". The ideal would have been Apple open-sourcing the Lightning connector because it is thinner, but USB-C isn't bad.
We have come a long way. Before the EU stepped up to the plate, we had every single phone come with a different charger. Even if the physical plug fit in the hole, th
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The problem with industry concensus is it only takes one (pardon) bad Apple to spoil the bunch. MOST wireless device manufactures have standardized on USB-C as they did micro-USB in the generation before. One standout company hasn't and has forced this leglislative decision. Strangely my MBP and IPad Pro both have USB-C, so it appears Apple is fine using USB-C for their higher end devices. Penny pinching on the IPhone maybe? I stuck with an android device this latest upgrade so that I could have USB-C
Re:Good law (Score:4, Insightful)
USB-C isn't perfect... but it is good enough...
I think 5 years someone was arguing to standardize chargers and said, "microUSB isn't perfect... but it is good enough." Good thing no one listened to them then. I just don't understand why anyone would listen to them now.
If someone is so smart they can predict exactly what technology is needed now and into the future, there are far more lucrative career paths than government regulator.
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No one who ever used it for more than a few weeks would believe them. Micro-USB was a high-failure-rate disaster.
Although
Re:Good law (Score:4, Interesting)
The perfect is the enemy of the good in this case, and USB-C is "good enough".
Yes, but so were RS-232, USB-A/B, VGA, DVI, micro-USB, and countless other standards. They were fantastic when introduced, good enough for a long time, and now look really primitive.
As many others have pointed out, locking USB-C into a EU standard is going to slow down the next cool thing, whatever that might be. Maybe it's wireless charging. Maybe it's USB-C with magnets instead of finger contacts. Maybe it's USB-D with 5 mm NFC instead of physical contacts. Neither of us knows and now it will be longer before we do know.
I'm also having trouble believing this is a problem which needs government action. Two decades ago, every device had its own wall wart with a hefty transformer. A decade ago we started seeing lots of devices charge with mini- or micro-USB. We're sorta converging on USB-A switching power supplies and/or outlets so all we're really talking about is what the other end of the cable looks like. I really think we have bigger problems to solve.
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The whole point of these laws is NOT having to change your charger every 5 years because there is a newer version of the connector.
But I guess at some point, you just update the law if it's no longer good.
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That is the downside that balances the upside. Having one standard is good but since its a government mandated one then it is guaranteed to fail to keep up with technology and will stick around far longer than useful. In a decade or so when USB has evolved to even faster transfer speeds, European users will not be allowed to take advantage of it because they will be stuck with devices using the old standard.
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The EU's standards body will decide which connector to use, not the politicians. They will doubtless look at the longevity of the connector before adopting it.
USB-C should be around for a very long time. It's got enough contacts and bandwidth to support almost any application, and bandwidth can be increased without changing the connector. At least for charging it should be suitable for any portable device we are likely to see in the next decade at least, given it can supply 100W and 100Wh is the maximum siz
Re:Good law (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, but which USB-C standard should we use. The one with HDMI or DisplayPort or Thunderbolt or MHL, 10Gbps, 40Gbps? Also note that 'proper' USB-C cables require a chip and heavy royalties to the USB-C group, Certified USB-C cables average about $30 MSRP, which is even more expensive than Apple's ($19.99) and Apple does certify other vendors to make them starting at ~$8.99.
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If you legislate, yes. USB-C has been out for about 6 years now, just now they're coming around to legislating it. So expect nanoscale devices 50 years from now to just be the USB-C connector.
Also, USB-C is probably one of the worst connections to standardize on because the mechanical connection itself has something like 15 different standards associated with it, so it is entirely possible to have each vendor pick a particular cable standard and make all competitors incompatible, even though they would mech
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There are some genuine complaints to be had with Apple hardware or their ecosystem, but when you trot out idi
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There are some genuine complaints to be had with Apple hardware or their ecosystem, but when you trot out idiotic comments like this that either suggest a complete lack of understanding or a deliberate attempt at low-effort trolling, it doesn't really help your case and makes everyone dismissive of anything useful or informative that you might actually have to say.
It's Ford versus Chevy posturing. That strange affliction of mostly males to pick a "winner" based on personality rather than actuality. And to heap a lot of hatred on devices they will never buy. A modern day version of a natural human need to hate something that is mostly harmless.
To the claims, I still have and use the original Apple cables I got with my first iPhone in 2011, and no itemized bill that separates cable price from the purchase price. No failures despite everyday use. For what it is wort
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So it's actually Ford v. Tesla, then.
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My only beef with Apple cables (and lots of their accessories) is the requirement for an iAP2 chip. Seriously, I need to "authenticate" my cable, or my USB hub, or other widget? Having designed and built products that use iAP2, it's a solid $6-$7 to Apple (if you do it right, and don't grey-market) per item, and your choice of vendors to build your product is hideously tiny (it must be made at an Apple approved factory - and most of those will NOT touch you unless you're talking opening orders of tens of
Re: Good law (Score:2)
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Re: Good law (Score:4, Funny)
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I've owned two or three iPhones in a row. I')m still using the original cables they both came with, and I bought some extras just to keep around for travel and such ; a three-pack cost $17. So I don't see where I was forced; to buy a $29 cable unless you')re talking about something completely different.
It's where a person makes stuff up or repeats fake news they've heard somewhere.
Haters gonna hate, and taters gonna tate.
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I have had to replace the power cable or power brick on every single Apple phone and laptop I have owned.
Some more than once.
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The one Apple requires you to use and then produces a very deficient on with the phone. If we need to have this discussion it will quickly come out how really poor the Apple brand cables wear.
That's a cable that came with the phone. Y'all need to quit parroting stuff like that. My receipts show no 29 dollar separate charge, and I haven't had any failures among any of the 15 or so Apple cables I have.
Next question - I've seen enough of your posts to understand that you hate Apple the way a redneck Chevy owner hates Fords. Why do you care what Apple users use? I use Android and Apple every day. Hard to get too excited about any differences.
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I hate Apple the way open standards nerds hate proprietary crap. This is Slashdot. Not the Apple Insiders site. Deal with the fact that you'll encounter nerds here. Not just slavish brand worshippers.
As a person who owns more Android devices than Apple devices, I gotta tell ya - you're barking up the wrong flagpole there, amigo.
Y'all lost the standards battle a long time ago. What will it be? USB C, or microUSB. I guess those are the latest of your ever changing standards. I have a fair number of cables for Android devices in my junk drawer that have different connectors on them, most likeley not to be used again - yet on my iPhones and the wife's iPad, I've used the same connections since almost a
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Re:Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
This legislation may actually prevent 'the next' standard which I'd suspect would be surface mounted with magnetic alignment, likely similar to 'mag-safe'.
Re:Good law (Score:5, Informative)
So all *chargers* must have a standard port, and a *cable* must go from that to whatever the phone manufacturer has on their phone.
Re:Good law (Score:4, Insightful)
They've tried explaining it, but people are not listening - it's not the port *on the phone*, it's the port *on the charger*, and the *charger's* specifications. So all *chargers* must have a standard port, and a *cable* must go from that to whatever the phone manufacturer has on their phone.
They haven't sufficiently explained why they feel compelled to intrude into a part of manufacturing that doesn't need intrusion.
I can plug my Android devices into my Apple Charger, and vice versa. I can plug either into my charging/connection ports in my car. My charging cables came with my devices.
Pretty amazing that the EU has so few problems that they feel the need to impose political solutions to non problems.
What's next? Trying to force the world to use their 50 Hz mains electricity and wall outlets?
Re:Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
They've tried explaining it, but people are not listening - it's not the port *on the phone*, it's the port *on the charger*, and the *charger's* specifications. So all *chargers* must have a standard port, and a *cable* must go from that to whatever the phone manufacturer has on their phone.
They haven't sufficiently explained why they feel compelled to intrude into a part of manufacturing that doesn't need intrusion.
I can plug my Android devices into my Apple Charger, and vice versa. I can plug either into my charging/connection ports in my car. My charging cables came with my devices.
Pretty amazing that the EU has so few problems that they feel the need to impose political solutions to non problems.
What's next? Trying to force the world to use their 50 Hz mains electricity and wall outlets?
Why do you think that is (hint: EU ruling a decade ago)...
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They've tried explaining it, but people are not listening - it's not the port *on the phone*, it's the port *on the charger*, and the *charger's* specifications. So all *chargers* must have a standard port, and a *cable* must go from that to whatever the phone manufacturer has on their phone.
They haven't sufficiently explained why they feel compelled to intrude into a part of manufacturing that doesn't need intrusion.
I can plug my Android devices into my Apple Charger, and vice versa. I can plug either into my charging/connection ports in my car. My charging cables came with my devices.
Pretty amazing that the EU has so few problems that they feel the need to impose political solutions to non problems.
What's next? Trying to force the world to use their 50 Hz mains electricity and wall outlets?
Why do you think that is (hint: EU ruling a decade ago)...
Then why do they have to do it again? Or do you like taking your technology orders from politicians?
Re:Good law (Score:5, Insightful)
They've tried explaining it, but people are not listening - it's not the port *on the phone*, it's the port *on the charger*, and the *charger's* specifications. So all *chargers* must have a standard port, and a *cable* must go from that to whatever the phone manufacturer has on their phone.
They haven't sufficiently explained why they feel compelled to intrude into a part of manufacturing that doesn't need intrusion.
I can plug my Android devices into my Apple Charger, and vice versa. I can plug either into my charging/connection ports in my car. My charging cables came with my devices.
Pretty amazing that the EU has so few problems that they feel the need to impose political solutions to non problems.
What's next? Trying to force the world to use their 50 Hz mains electricity and wall outlets?
Why do you think that is (hint: EU ruling a decade ago)...
Then why do they have to do it again? Or do you like taking your technology orders from politicians?
I certainly prefer it to what we had before (each device coming with a completely different charger - remember those 'drawer of chargers' we used to have?).
I trust our government a whole lot more than I trust random companies to have our best interests at heart. EU / US difference I suppose.
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My point that I hope you are actually taking is that Europe has a past of trying to dictate to others how they are supposed to act.
And the United States doesn't? That's pretty much the whole history of post-WWII American international relationships.
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They haven't sufficiently explained why they feel compelled to intrude into a part of manufacturing that doesn't need intrusion.
It does need intrusion. That every phone, tablet and laptop is shipped with its own charger is a disgrace. In fact they should make it illegal to include a charger with electronic devices. That would put a stop to the lie that the charger is included "free". Of course they charger for it! Once that lie is dead customers will welcome being able to reduce cost by using a charger they already own. And this would drastically reduce electronic waste.
They should generalize this rule to every electronic device t
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Tell me, Einstein, How are phone manufacturers supposed to stay in business if they sell *mismatched* female ports on their phones?
...I don't know how to reply to that. You have a standard on one end of a cable and whatever they want on the other.
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technically all the charges have been USB-A for quite a while. At most I wouldnt be surprised if apple were to ship with a USB-C to lightening adapter and call it a day.
My concern is how will this impact Raspberry Pi since even a 2.0amp charger was insufficient to power its microUSB port on the pi3. I just got the pi4 and even though its usb-c, again, there is a special charger for it in order to meet the power demands.
What about laptops?
All I read are articles talking about the law, but not the letter of t
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Which links to a PDF at the end containing the study.
Which is too long for me to read - this is Slashdot after all.
Also, they haven't brought in the directive yet - they've voted that we need one. Check the one from (2005?) to see what they'll probably come up with. It'll be a honed version of that, probably.
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If that's true (and I'm not suggesting it isn't; I haven't looked into it enough to know), then why is this even a point of discussion and why is Lightning being mentioned in the first place? All of Apple's mobile chargers already use either USB-A or USB-C, depending on the device. It's clear the world is migrating towards USB-C for its chargers, and Apple has been moving along with that trend. It's only their cables and devices that use Lightning, not their chargers.
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Overall it's about trying to make things as universal as possible, so once the original device is old, maybe broken, stolen, lost etc the charger can still be used instead of thrown away.
I support it as it seems like a no-brainer to me. Electricity is electricity.
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This regulation effort has been going on for 10 years (link [nytimes.com].
And has since then been (gasp) adapted. So we have been enjoying more standardization and no backslashes.
Oh no! Lawmakers sometimes get it right! That's terrible news! What will become of us!
Fun fact: experts recon Apple will soon take to wireless charging only. Good luck charging your phone on the go. But I'm sure it will not hurt their sales and will go the way of the wireless heaphones: lot's of noise but also lots of sales.
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Your logic is faulty. If they had decided to do this 10 years ago the result would have been the same - ask the EU standards body to select a suitable connector. Given the limitations of USB Mini and after consultation with the USB-IC and manufacturers they would probably have decided a new EuroUSB socket was needed and adopted an industry design for it.
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If they had their way 10 years ago, the USB-mini-b plug would a factor limiting quick charge today. Also, be careful which USB-C power you use, as both the Nintendo Switch and Raspberry Pi can only use ones which don't support 'power delivery'.
So if they had their ways 10 years ago this Nitendo / Raspberry mess could have been avoided.
This legislation may actually prevent 'the next' standard which I'd suspect would be surface mounted with magnetic alignment, likely similar to 'mag-safe'.
The solution to all your concerns is to only mandate a specific technology for a limited period of time. This ensures interoperability and once a standard is established provides a strong disincentive for manufacturers to switch to a new standard that does not provide substantial benefits.
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Let's make USB-C the standard, and then manufacturers can let you guess whether you're using USB-C 2.0, USB-C 3.0, USB-C 3.1 Gen1, USB-C 3.1 Gen2, Thunderbolt passive, or Thunderbolt active (there may be more that I've missed), all of which have the same connector and so look identical and yet all of which are incompatible, or at least if you've got the wrong cable you end up with the lowest common denominator, often USB 2.0. Oh yeah, and there will be a bazillion shitty Chinese cables, all of which lie ab
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
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No, the law is quite clear, they have to use a common charging socket
They do. All of those incompatible cables use a USB-C socket. It's the cable, and the device that sits at either end, that's the problem, not the socket. It's already so bad that manufacturers of USB-C/TB docks have long lists of which devices will and won't work with their docks, and which aspects of the device will and won't work.
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This is for charging. If you plug your device in to any of those it won't fail, it will charge at the maximum available speed.
There is no problem here.
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No, it won't "just charge at the maximum available speed". Unlike previous cables where the host could just keep a 5v potential across two pins while providing no-more-than 500mA, these cables literally have chips in them to handle signaling and negotiation with the host device with regards to capabilities, i.e. speed and power and whatever else. USB power delivery (USB-PD) literally has a table of different voltage and current profiles:
https://electronics.stackexcha... [stackexchange.com]
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Looks like the EU guys will have to go back and pass a second law soon after the first one fails to solve the problem.
It's kind of sad seeing you claim the law needs to be changed when it does not even exist yet. What has been voted is a resolution to prepare a law for next July [cnn.com] which is when it will be reviewed and put into place if it gathers enough votes.
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As far as connectors are concerned, Lightning makes a lot more sense than USB-C. More durable. No small plastic parts.
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Now, I'm just a humble small-town folksy lawyer who says things like "I'm just a humble small town lawyer", but...couldn't people just buy phones that support USB-C if that's what they want? Eventually, your phone, with a non-USB-C charger, would be at a disadvantage in the market if it was important enough to people.
I'm all for laws that solve externalities that the market can't, like pollution, but this is just sill bureaucracy in action.
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I agree. This has been far too long delayed already. There is absolutely no reason to delay this any further. And Apple will just have to learn to live with having to pley nice with some others now.
Make sure there are no "outs" (Score:3)
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Apple weaseled out of supporting USB micro and it'll weasel its way out this. That's providing the directive gives it any chance to. E.g. the directive should make it mandatory that the device contain the charging port so Apple can't drop cables for wireless charging or crap out some dongle that they know no one will use like they've done in the past.
Why would you care what connector is on a phone that you never plan on buying? One ring to rule them all outlook?
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And I would prefer to see such directives go MUCH further, mandati
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Because the purpose of the directive is to eliminate waste by standardizing chargers so they do not become obsolete such as when one manufacturer produces their own proprietary charger technology or arbitrarily switches to another.
This is another way of saying that the technology must be frozen and locked in place. So I take it that you believe that we are at the pinnicle of technology, and that nothing further is required. Charger technology is now cast in stone, never to be altered.
Okay, well I do not think so. Apple should not be exempt from this and they should not be permitted to sabotage the purpose of the directives, e.g. by DRM'ing their chargers or otherwise locking people into their peripherals for that purpose.
So wh
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Because the purpose of the directive is to eliminate waste by standardizing chargers so they do not become obsolete such as when one manufacturer produces their own proprietary charger technology or arbitrarily switches to another. Apple should not be exempt from this and they should not be permitted to sabotage the purpose of the directives
I can use 10-year-old Apple chargers (which pre-dates Lightning) and 5-year-old Apple cables to charge new iPads and iPhones.
Apple isn't the source of those obsolete chargers and cables over the last decade.
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This is Apple we're talking about, so absolutely this - the only other company I know that loves going down the proprietary road as much is Sony, and even they're now mostly onboard with standards when it comes to inter-device connectivity. Given half a chance, Apple's courageous response to this will almost certainly be to remove the charging port altogether and say owners of their phones and tablets can use whatever cable standard the EU cares to dictate with their IQ wireless charging pad(s).
If there is one thing I have learned, it is that humans need to get their science and technology education from politicians.
But seriously - what is it that causes you to fly into a rage about a company you obviously hate - witness your "courageous" comments - using a cable designed for their equipment, that you will never buy?
The Apple connectors work, work well, and in general are less a problem than the connectors on my Android devices.
Which to me is the main point the EU, in their righteous zealo
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Charger is std, but the cable is not (Score:2)
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> Except Apple, Garmin watches and others
Oh, seriously? I was considering a Garmin watch. Thanks for the warning - screw that - I have too many cables to manage already.
Good idea but needs more flexibility (Score:2)
Having the same connector on all devices is not a bad idea but it needs a bit more flexibility. :) ), and any devices sold after that date (or some date following) must adhere to that standard, or are prohibited from being sold.
Rather than mandating a specific standard, they could have specified that industry has to come up with a specific common standard by whatever date (by a simple majority vote
Then mandate the same procedure for the future releases (but limit vote on the new standard to once every N num
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Apple already makes devices that charge with USB-C (Score:2)
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One of Steve Jobs' marketing -- I guess from Apple's standpoint you'd call them "innovations" -- was this: never try to give the customer everything you can.
This is helpful in multiple ways. Fewer features means less cost and easier design for example. But one o the big ones is that if you leave something out, you can add it to the next generation device.
The original iPod Touch lacked something that pretty much everyone who had one quickly realized they wanted: a built-in speaker. You had to use earbuds
That doesn't work though, if you ... (Score:2)
... only keep *removing* features.
And I'm not a feature creep fan either.
It's about removing brain-dead simple, obvious, reliable, well-working solution. Like a removable battery, headphone jack, file manager, (and a real keyboard for starters!), etc.
How about portless charging? (Score:2)
The new iPhone could have US model and a EU model... the US model will have a lightning port that can be used for charging.
The EU model will not have any user-accessible connectors at all.
The only official way to charge your EU model phone will be to find a public Apple charging kiosk and insert $0.25 to pay the machine to have charge imparted into your device as a service.
Re: How about portless charging? (Score:2)
Nobody but retards wants that crap.
I want to be able to call somebody, while it is charging. Or turn around in bed and keep watching my video!
Also I have no interest in an induction cooker.
Courage campaign (Score:2)
Globalism-Loving Company (Apple) Screwed by It (Score:2)
And then Britain ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Wireless (Score:2)
There have been rumors that Apple wants to go 100% wireless. I wonder if this will force EU Apple phones to be manufactured with a USB-C port.
Tool battery packs next, please! (Score:2)
I won't buy a damn $15 drill, when it comes with a battery pack that forces me to buy $150 battery packs from now on.
And printer cartriges!
Cause monpoly ruins the market, whether you achieve it normally or via lock-in. Which is why monopoly is a crime.
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I believe the law is for standardizing the charging PORTS, not the cable or the charger (pedantic I know but it makes a difference). The article is bad. So basically you would need a USB-C port on your phone. Not sure if it would apply to wireless charging though.
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Innovation...think not! (Score:2)
Think where we came from: all kind of different chargers using all kind of different technologies.
Under pressure of regulation we have been enjoying more and more standarization. Your USB-A standard with a different cable is a perfect example of this.
There is only one company that insists on doing thing differently. All the Android manufacturers had to switch to USB-C (since most were on micro usb or some variant). But not Apple. They simply refused to budge. And so now they will be forced to do so.
As for t
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As for the innovation argument: you have taken too much of the Apple lobyist coll-aid. Future innovation is NOT in the type of connector used for charging you phone.
Who knows. Maybe at some point we'll start using phones to replace our desktop devices and by that time USB-C might not cut it anymore. Of course that can be fixed later by a change in law, but I just don't think it is a good idea to force a certain connector on the industry for no reason whatsoever. The charger argument is bunk, and the argument of having to replace cables when you switch phones is just not good enough.
And what if Apple decide to be extra-brave and drop the charging port completely,
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Think where we came from: all kind of different chargers using all kind of different technologies.
Under pressure of regulation we have been enjoying more and more standarization.
Define enjoying. I could care less about my Apple or Android Charging ports. Plug 'em in , charge 'em, and use 'em. Eorced compliance isn't often very helpful.
Some times I think that the rulers of the EU read Harrison Bergeron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] and thought it was a blueprint for society instead of a warning. What a bunch of granfalloons. making such a wampeter.
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All the Android manufacturers had to switch to USB-C (since most were on micro usb or some variant). But not Apple. They simply refused to budge. And so now they will be forced to do so.
As for the innovation argument: you have taken too much of the Apple lobyist coll-aid. Future innovation is NOT in the type of connector used for charging you phone.
Given that Apple uses USB-C on Macbooks and iPad Pros, I expect they will move it into the iPhone as well. Otherwise they get to a point where a significant part of their own user base (i.e. people who own a Macbook, an iPad and an iPhone) need to deal with differing cables. They have an investment in lightning infrastructure, but they have been willing to make changes before.
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What the fuck are you on about? I don't have a male plug sticking out of my phone, you nitwit.
It is a transgender connector you insensitive cold.
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That's funny, because my kids have an iPad, and the lightning connector is very unreliable. It will stop charging if you so much as bump it, sometimes it will work one way up but not the other, etc. I've also found USB type C on my Galaxy S8 isn't as reliable as micro B was - it will lose a data connection if bumped, which was never a problem with micro B. (Of course, Nokia PopPort was the all-time worst phone connector. That thing would disconnect if you looked at it wrong.)
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I have always hated how microUSB fits so loosely in its port. IT takes no time at all before the port expands a small amount and the slightest wiggle takes your device from charging state to surprising the fuck out of you the next day that its not charged (mostly noticed this with my kids tables [kindle and lenovo both]). With lightening it always fits snugly and stay charging. The only complaint I have is that I seem to be replacing my daughters (17yo( cable more regularly than I have ever replaced cables
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I buy a phone. It comes with appropriate charger and cable.
That's part of the problem. You shouldn't need a new charger every time you get a new phone. Your phone should last you a long time too, but chances are it won't fail or get lost at the same time as your charger.
I get new cable from Amazon for $6 or so
Then reduce phone price by $6 and don't include the charger. Since all phones should charge from the same cable and charger, you'll throw less to the bin.
What am I missing?
The basics, it seems. The goal is to reduce e-waste.
Re: Why was this needed? (Score:2)
This was needed because Apple had 10 damn years to comply and be *compatible* (Which is the whole point. Monopolism is a crime! Even if done via lock-in, IMO.)... and they didn't.
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This was needed because Apple had 10 damn years to comply and be *compatible*
I can plug my Android devices and Apple devices into the same chargers already.
I can even do so with chargers that are more than 10 years old. Including Apple chargers that pre-date the Lightning connector.
The horrific injustice being dealt with here is I haven't had to buy a new Lightning cable in those 10 years (got new ones with phone upgrades, so I've got lots laying around). I have had to replace all my Android cables in that time, since they went from microUSB, to a fast-charging microUSB to USB-C.
A