EU Deal on Single Mobile Charging Port Likely June 7 in Setback for Apple (reuters.com) 151
EU countries and EU lawmakers are set to agree on a common charging port for mobile phones, tablets and headphones on June 7 when they meet to discuss a proposal that has been fiercely criticised by Apple, Reuters reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter said. From the report: The proposal for a single mobile charging port was first broached by the European Commission more than a decade ago after iPhone and Android users complained about having to use different chargers for their phones. The former is charged from a Lightning cable while Android-based devices are powered using USB-C connectors. The trilogue next Tuesday will be the second and likely the final one between EU countries and EU lawmakers on the topic, an indication of a strong push to get a deal done, the people said.
Why?! (Score:3)
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Probably because power requirements differ so greatly. A low end laptop is going to require significantly less power to charge than a high end gaming laptop. In the end you would have to have a single brick for all laptops, raising the cost for even low end laptops. Cell phones don't have that much variation in charging requirements so easier to standardize.
Re: Why?! (Score:3)
USB-pd can do 240 watts.
You can cover pretty much all laptops with the same port, and have different powered bricks (just like how phones, tablets, and yes laptops all can use the same port now).
My laptop will even charge with a 20w brick that also fast charges my phone and do fine for my typical day of work, or a 60w brick which I may need if I'm running it hard constantly.
There really is no reason not to include laptops in this.
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I think that will apply in the future hopefully but I don't believe there are laptops or gear to take advantage of that just yet or it's just becoming available to consumers in the last few months.
Also considering the shoddy state of USB-PD cables currently (lot's of unsafe ones out there, especially at high wattages, the labeling system is a mess at the moment) I don't think the industry is quite there yet.
I do agree that is the dream though, having all mobile electronics on one standard will be amazing.
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It applies to the last two laptops I've used (13 inch MacBook pro from years ago and a current HP).
I agree that bad cables are a problem, just like shoddy third party power bricks of the past, I'm not sure how to fix that long running problem of laptop power supplies.
Re: Why?! (Score:2)
Yeah the T480 I've been using for years uses it and I use an anker power supply at home to the pieces are there for a good majority of models I just don't know if it's as easily enforceable as it is for phones.
My dream really is USB standardizing a magnetic connector for laptops or Apple just letting everyone use there's. For laptops it's just superior imo.
Re: Why?! (Score:2)
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That's wholly irrelevant, because the cable can be bonded to the power supply and therefore they can't replace it with the wrong one.
Also, there's a lot of headroom in the spec. USB-C will do 240W but most laptop power supplies are 65W or less. So in most cases a cable that does 1/4 of the rated requirement will be fine, and this is only really an issue for the most serious equipment.
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That's wholly irrelevant, because the cable can be bonded to the power supply and therefore they can't replace it with the wrong one.
Also, there's a lot of headroom in the spec. USB-C will do 240W but most laptop power supplies are 65W or less. So in most cases a cable that does 1/4 of the rated requirement will be fine, and this is only really an issue for the most serious equipment.
Cables aren't rated in watts. They're rated in amps, because that's what determines how much energy gets turned into heat as a result of resistance in the wiring. The only thing that the voltage affects is how close the contacts can be inside the connector (which doesn't vary from cable to cable) to prevent arcing.
A 240W power supply is 48V at 5A. If I'm reading the PD spec correctly, 60W can also be delivered as 12V at 5A. So it is entirely possible that a 60W power supply could put just as much stress
Re: Why?! (Score:4, Insightful)
Cables aren't rated in watts. They're rated in amps
No, cables are rated in size, and their insulation is rated in volts. Their carrying capacity is your business, although there may be requirements in code.
No, not really. Wires are rated in size, and their insulation is rated in volts. Cables, or at least USB-C cables, are measured in amps.
AFAIK, there's no such thing as a 48V USB-C cable or a 5V USB-C cable or a 20V USB-C cable, nor a 60W cable or anything like that. The cables are just 3A, 4A, and 5A cables. That's because there's no realistic possibility of hitting or even approaching the dielectric breakdown voltage of the insulation. For most wires, that's typically measured in tens of kilovolts per mm. So to have a breakdown voltage in tens of volts, the insulation would have to be on the order of a tenth as thick as a human hair. The spec doesn't bother to worry about such insane corner cases, because any insulation that thin would wear out the very first time you flexed the cable, and would short out and cause a fire anyway. :-D
And the carrying capacity of USB-C cables is specified by an actual chip inside the cable. The cable reports what amperage it can carry. The power-requesting end of the cable asks for a certain amount. The power-supplying end of the cable then supplies the highest amount of current that it can, up to, but not exceeding, the amperage limits of the cable and the voltage and amperage requested by the device.
The only thing that the voltage affects is how close the contacts can be inside the connector (which doesn't vary from cable to cable) to prevent arcing.
And, obviously, how many watts you can deliver down a given wire given its ampacity limitations.
Yes, obviously. :-)
And loads are measured in a whole lot of ways, but commonly in watts — notably, computers, and computer components are almost exclusively described in this way in popular literature. Those other characteristics are critical engineering details, but typically irrelevant to the end user.
Except that smaller cables will cap the current at 3A, so it isn't actually irrelevant.
If I'm reading the PD spec correctly, 60W can also be delivered as 12V at 5A.
Yes. Manufacturers should use the highest voltage they can manage because it will make it easier to find a cable that will work. Plastic is cheap, metal is expensive.
Sure. The point, though, is that a cable that claims to support 5A and actually supports 1.6A could burn up if the device specifically requires a 12V supply and actually tries to draw 60W. This isn't likely, but it could happen. And a cable that claims to support 3A (the minimum required for USB-C) but has wire diameter rated for 1A could cause serious problems, too.
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A Hyundai Elantra has significantly less power than a Ford F150, yet both have identical gas tank openings.
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What MightyMartian said.
And what happens when they standardize on a chunky connector like old school Dell laptops (7mm?) and technology advances allow making an airweight notebook that is able to be only 6mm thick? Better laptop couldnt happen in that scenario.
And it actually did happen in the Dell world. Some airweight notebooks and tablets required a smaller barrel plug. And if you wanted to use a standard 7mm charger you'd have to use a converter cable.
Now they've moved to being powered via USB-C so i
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Just like the original law called for micro-USB, if technology comes along and there's a new superior plug format that would make sense to use to supplant USB-C then there will be a new updated law passed. For the next decade or more I think USB-C will be fine for phones, 240W and 80Gbps is going to be enough for quite some time.
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USB-C is nice, sure. But by your standard, Lightning would have been outlawed in favor of Micro-USB. And other than âoe it wasnâ(TM)t invented by Apple,â no on Iâ(TM)ve ever asked has EVER been able to conjure up a rationale for how micro-USB is technologically superior to lightning and how lightning should be banned based on micro-USBâ(TM)s supposed merit, verses ideological purity. Never mind the fact that so many people have screamed bloody murder about hating USC-C that Apple ha
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USB-C seems decent for now, but it's going to be really hard to move to something better when that emerges as phones that use the better standard won't be sold in a whole chunk of the world.
I can't imagine a phone will ever emerge that can't be charged with USB-C.
USB-C is a standard that negotiates the charging voltage with the device. If needed, future phones/chargers can negotiate a higher voltage between themselves while maintaining backwards compatibility with today's devices.
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Why are laptops exempt from this rule? I don't get it.
I don't know, I haven't followed the negotiations. It might be the negotiators wanted to start with smaller, cheaper, shorter lifetime devices first. I replace bluetooth headsets far more frequently than I do laptops. And I have 2-3 headsets at any one time but only one laptop.
That being said, my current laptop charges just fine via USB-C (although it also has a more traditional 2.5x5 mm power port). It's not that manufacturers can't make USB-C charging laptops, they're just not required. Not yet. If custom
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They probably will be next.
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We have laptops at work with USB-C charging connectors and that's the most frequently broken feature on them now. Later generation Dell laptops.
Implementation will be interesting (Score:5, Insightful)
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Dude, there's a published USB-C Standard. [usb.org]
Apple and the rest will either have to be in compliance or not.
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Dude, there's a published USB-C Standard. [usb.org]
Apple and the rest will either have to be in compliance or not.
True, but if you read the EU proposal (using EN IEC 62680-1-3:2021) it only appears to address the receptacle and connector and PD; which is why I said it depends on how it is implemented. USB Spec you did allows for vendor specific implementations of some features, if I read it correctly. It appears teh EU is only going for power compatibility and not full compatibly across cabals and devices. Time will tell.
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USB PD does specify a standard for the cables and the protocol. Apple could gimp it by limiting charging to 7.5W without a special Apple cable or charger, but since they have already adopted PD for the iPad and their laptops that doesn't seem likely.
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so an Apple cord could very well have special pinouts taht means any USB C cord may not be 100% equivalent and be a repeat of the "charge only" Lightening cables
There's little point to that I would think. Many of the cell phone hardware providers are moving away from the plug it up to your computer to transfer stuff onto the device and offering cloud services for one to move data to instead. It still exists, don't get me wrong, but makers are adding hoops at rapid fire pace to the whole process. If anything, moving to a "mandated" USB-C gives Apple a patsy to blame when they say, "Oh so sorry, but we removed data transfer ability from the port since it was so sl
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So given that the assumed attitude. Why even have the ability to transfer data any longer over a cable?
If you're going to have data connections on the port, which they will for the purpose of being able to use peripherals, then there's no good reason not to have data transfer.
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Nothing technical stops them from mounting the device as a block data device.
Android started out with that, but it was a huge PITA, so we got MTP. The problem with block mounting is that none of the commonly-used filesystems support multi-access, so when you attached your phone to your computer to transfer things, all the apps that might access the storage had to be stopped and blocked from running.
The devices I've transferred files from in recent times haven't had any trouble with MTP. My several-year-old phone even was fast enough that it showed that my monitor's USB3 ports aren't
Re: Implementation will be interesting (Score:2)
Re: Implementation will be interesting (Score:2)
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Moving from micro USB to USB however could increase the cost of some low end Android phones, which can cost as little as $200. We saw this with PCs in the old days where fast interfaces like SCSCI were seldom implemented as USB 1.1 was the standard for a very long time,
The cost saving would be in the laptop market. This is where various
Re: Implementation will be interesting (Score:2)
I don't think the EU draft regulation allows an exemption for wireless charging, so Apple would lose sales if they don't implement the standard connector on their phone.
SCSI was around long before USB 1.1 . It wasn't standard equipment on PCs, but I had SCSI cards in mine in the early to mid 1990s before the first USB 1.0 draft .
SCSI and USB both share a history of having a large variety of connector/cable types. I still have a drawer of SCSI cables in my garage with Centronics, HD50, HD68, VHDCI, SCA just
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If the remove the data port entirely...how will I plug it into my car to play music, etc?
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If the remove the data port entirely...how will I plug it into my car to play music, etc?
You would use bluetooth, of course. This is the way most people connect their phone to their car now. Even cheapass JVC head units have bluetooth, and so do all the in-vehicle infotainment systems.
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There is a VERY noticeable drop in audio quality using bluetooth vs the wired connection.
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There is a VERY noticeable drop in audio quality using bluetooth vs the wired connection.
That's not a law, there are good codecs these days. If your infotainment system and/or phone doesn't support them that's unfortunate, but it's not bluetooth's fault. Hyundai now supports AAC [hyundaimotorgroup.com] for example.
(I found some other articles about how some other automakers also support some improved audio codecs like aptX, but I couldn't read the actual articles because the content didn't appear without Javascript, and I don't care enough to enable it for this so I guess those companies don't get any free advertising
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Hmm..so, every time they change a standard, I'm supposed to go buy a new car?
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Hmm..so, every time they change a standard, I'm supposed to go buy a new car?
If your complaint is that automakers' infotainment systems are typically hopelessly out of date by the time they reach the market, it's valid. Neither they nor Apple cares, though. If your stereo has a line input then you can use a bluetooth receiver module instead. That way you know you're getting a standard compatible with your phone.
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Thank you for the suggestion, I'd not come across anything like that will look for it when the time comes.
Oh I know the auto infotainment systems grow old VERY quickly...an
Re: Implementation will be interesting (Score:2)
When your car is in motion, with traffic/tire/road noise, it's harder to tell the difference, though. If it's an EV and parked, yes one can usually tell.
I prefer wired also. I use USB stick with WMA lossless files in my Volt. Unfortunately there is a hard limit around 650 albums and 10000 files which is much less than the stick has on it. And browsing albums on the car's screen is a poor experience. But still much better than using Bluetooth, a voice assistant, and trying to select an album on a smartphone.
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Not really. USB-C PD devices are standardized and there are certification labs. If Apple does try to get out of this in sneaky ways, they will simply be subject to that
"5% of annual turnover" fine that the EU can hand out as long as needed. Not that I think Apple will be this stupid.
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Not really. USB-C PD devices are standardized and there are certification labs. If Apple does try to get out of this in sneaky ways, they will simply be subject to that "5% of annual turnover" fine that the EU can hand out as long as needed. Not that I think Apple will be this stupid.
The point is not PD or connector but that the proposal does not appear to address data transfer but allows configurations that would make cables device specific for non-charging applications. The spec basically, as I see it, only defines a bare minimum requirement that a cable must comply with; and allows multiple configurations of other pins.
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Will still be compatible. There _are_ PD cables that only have USB 2.0 in the data lines, for example. You are allowed to put in less, but you are _not_ allowed to put in anything incompatible and call it "USB" or "PD". The logos come with some legal assurances and these get defended at least if a large manufacturer abuses them. Also, Apple would become liable for any and all damage done.
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Will still be compatible. There _are_ PD cables that only have USB 2.0 in the data lines, for example.
You are allowed to put in less,
As well as more, which means, despite some peoples' beliefs, though not necessarily yours, the EU standard does not create one cable to rule all, except for minimal PD requirements.
but you are _not_ allowed to put in anything incompatible and call it "USB" or "PD". The logos come with some legal assurances and these get defended at least if a large manufacturer abuses them. Also, Apple would become liable for any and all damage done.
My point was you can have a fully compliant cable that has features a bare minimally complaint doesn't, such as audio, and be compliant with the standard. There are also pins in the spec that allow for checking if a cable is certified for a manufacturer's device. Yet the cables will only be comp
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It's fine if they implement it only for charging, since charging is the problem. It's likely that most people never plug their phone into their computer to transfer data any more anyway, and do it all through cloud services. I know I commonly do that even though I can plug in any time, the cable is sticking out from under my monitor, and that's even how I charge. But if the file isn't very big, then there's no reason to bother plugging in, and cycling the pins again (since they have a limited number of inse
Re:Implementation will be interesting (Score:5, Insightful)
yes, you have realized that this is entirely pointless and will accomplish nothing of benefit for your average person.
USB-C and micro-USB standardisation of charging has been a lifesaver and average people benefit every day. The number of times the fact my laptop charger can charge my phone has helped me is immense. The fact that my charger is compatible with most people is great. The fact that there are only really two standards - Micro USB and USB-C makes all sorts of things such as charging kiosks and hotels having chargers behind the desk practical. Due to these standards I can know that I have every standard normal people need in my car. If Apple put some effort into cooperating so that their patents were in the standard and Intel and friends built compatible systems then we could have a magsafe solid data connection. The fact they don't is enough to boycott anything they want to impose.
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yes, you have realized that this is entirely pointless and will accomplish nothing of benefit for your average person.
the average person does not pay a luxury premium for a phone has been using standard usb for a whileand isn't affected by apple's schemes. the 20% that do pay premium for an iphone just to show perceived status (amongst them most of these eu commissioners) will benefit from a usb at somepoint but, you are totally right, they can go stuff themselves.
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The average person derives no value from having one charger per device. This used to be the case before the EU stepped in, and thank f*ck those days are over. Nothing prevents Apple from participating in the standardization process except for Apple.
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you mean except for Apple and their millions of installed base who would be pissed off at them for obsoleting the stuff they already have. You might say it's their fault for buying into the proprietary ecosystem, but that doesn't keep it from being Apple's problem. At least regulation would let them point and say "it's not our fault, the evil government made us do it; now buy our new shiny Apple-branded USB-C chargers."
Also, at the time Lightning was introduced, there was no mechanically robust alternativ
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you mean except for Apple and their millions of installed base who would be pissed off at them for obsoleting the stuff they already have. You might say it's their fault for buying into the proprietary ecosystem, but that doesn't keep it from being Apple's problem.
No, it's Apple's fault for doing some proprietary bullshit that's not in their customers' best interests, and now it's the customers' problem because they will have incompatible crap. But it's not a big problem, because anyone buying an iOS device has already demonstrated that they have extra money to spend on shiny shiny. They can afford the new stuff.
The EU has decided that it's not in consumers' best interest to have to have incompatible connectors. Apple wanted their own proprietary connector, and they
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No one is forced to buy an iphone, so this is just lawmakers looking for a problem to solve, any problem. Instead of focusing on all those other issues they have, they can say they did "something" by attacking Apple.
I think Apple users are happy with what they are getting from Apple. It is not like Apple has a monopoly in smart phones or computers. They only have a monopoly on Apple products.
None of this is protecting consumers and it certainly is not helping the environment, what with all the waste now tha
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No one is forced to buy an iphone,
Nobody forced Apple to use a nonstandard connector, which was in no one's best interest but their own, and which was done specifically so that they could have an incompatible and proprietary standard.
Nobody is forcing Apple to do business in the EU.
Instead of focusing on all those other issues they have, they can say they did "something" by attacking Apple.
They've actually "attacked" everyone who had a non-compatible charging connector. They did not single out Apple for abuse. That is a lie. It's simply taken them much longer to deal with Apple, because Apple is bigger and more influential.
I think Apple users are happy with what they are getting from Apple.
Ooh, shiny!
None of this is protecting consumers and it certainly is not helping the environment,
It is protecti
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Whether it's in the customer's interests is up to each individual customer. It wasn't worth it to you, but to them, having a connector that doesn't break when you look at it sideways was worth buying into a proprietary connector.
I would agree that it was "proprietary bullshit" IF there WAS a standard, physically robust charging/audio/data connector on the market at the time of Lightning's introduction. Since there wasn't I wouldn't fault them for coming up with a better way, and I think it was in the inte
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If Apple had given away their standard or just charged a reasonable fee to use it then we might all be using it now.
Instead they kept it to themselves and that caused a problem, and now they're whining about the remedy.
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This is bullshit.
Apple has had the most stable series of connectors since the iPod first hit the market - meanwhile Android and other devices have gone through a multitude of connectors in the same period, including proprietary (at one point it seemed like every manufacturer had their own proprietary standard, and it changed per device or generation), micro USB, mini USB, nano USB, USB-C
You were much mire likely to find a compatible Apple charging cable in a random office than you were a non-Apple device f
Re: Implementation will be interesting (Score:2)
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A day before at WWDC (Score:2)
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It'll be interesting to see if they do that, especially because the newer iPads are all USB-C and Apple calls that a feature because the USB-C port offers more features than Lightning does. It seems like a foregone conclusion that USB-C is coming to iPhone given that it's all the Macs use now and the iPad uses it.
But Apple is petty and spiteful enough that it wouldn't at all surprise me if they introduce a special European "no ports, only wireless charging" iPhone rather than use USB-C, even if the next mod
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Whats the difficulty? The wireless charging pad could have a USB-C port as its primary or secondary connector. With power up to 240 watts coming soon, USB-C is fine to provide the power needed for wireless charging.
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You know what would save even more space than dropping the port?
Dropping wireless charging. (Especially Apple's version, which has extra magnets to hold the charger to the phone, because Apple has never heard of this thing called "gravity.")
Having a charge port is simply more useful because it also pulls double duty as a method to restore the phone if the software gets corrupted to a point where it can no longer boot. Of course, Apple doesn't let anyone do this, it requires special software that only Apple
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The extra magnets align the charging coil and receiving coil to minimize power loss and heat generation, it's actually a useful feature that I wish had been in the original Qi standard.
Standards are important (Score:5, Insightful)
Standards are important. Every time you plug something into a wall and it just works and you don't get electrocuted, thank a bureaucrat. Do you want to go back to the days of multiple incompatible standards for power delivery [wikipedia.org]?
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As a 'veteran' of multiple standards activities (IEEE, ISO, OMG), I know where those standards come from. They are not written by EU bureaucrats in fancy offices in Brussels. They are developed and balloted by people with at least some expertise, and often substantial expertise, in the subject matter. And those individuals are generally sponsored by/funded by their employers, who have a vested interest in ensuring the resulting standard is actually 'fit for purpose'. Some SDOs even require a commitment
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if you take a non-switching 110v device, use a plug adapter to stick it into a 220v socket, I guarantee you'll let out the Magic Smoke.
I've undervolted a lot of stuff and nothing without electric motors has died. Overvolting, on the other hand...
Re:A day before at WWDC (Score:5, Insightful)
I have to admit, though, that EU bureaucrats making these kinds of decisions bothers me a lot. It's not as if EU has particular engineering expertise or any accountability for the consequences of their decisions. And the argument for "less waste" is pretty bogus, particularly after Apple (and others) stopped including chargers with the phone.
You don't think the EU, the worlds second largest economy, is capable of employing technical expertise to look into the viability of this? And it's already been proven to be viable and feasible with the move to micro-USB as a standard everyone apart from Apple adopted. The benefits have already been proven. You know you can go anywhere with a device that will charge over USB and know you can find a charger even though you've forgotten yours. I can only assume you're quite young and don't remember a time before micro-USB where every single manufacturer would have their own ports for charging and data and you'd need to carry multiple charge cables and data cables around. Shit, they didn't even use the same data and charging connectors within their own product ranges with the same generation of device, let alone cross-gen.
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Next, tell that about when we had "wired" phones. Many of us had a single house phone and we would attach a 50ft telephone wire to it and the wall so we could take the phone anywhere in the house. If you had more then one phone, anyone could pickup a phone in the house and listen in on your conversation you were having on a different device since it was all one circuit.
Or, if you were talking to someone, end your call by hanging up, you had to wait for their end to also hang up before you could then make a
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You don't think the EU, the worlds second largest economy, is capable of employing technical expertise to look into the viability of this? ...
They're capable. But do they do this? Have they established a panel of experts? Who's on that panel, when did they meet, what did they discuss, what criteria govern their recommendations? But I'm sure the EU heard from a lot of lobbyists and advocates. I'm generally pessimistic about government institutions when it comes to tech policy, and I freely admit to being a very large EU skeptic when it comes to how that organization makes decisions.
What should be the scope and range of decisions by the EU gov
They can whine (Score:2)
But they already have seen this coming and they already have a plan in place, it will be better for consumers (I think)
Comparing Apples to Apples (Score:2)
I just got issued a MacBook Pro by my employer, and guess what: it's all USB C.
Before we criticize Apple for failing to keep up with modern standards, maybe we should give them some time to catch up with themselves.
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Note their control also allows them to precisely control what peripherals are made for the iPhone by choosing whom they license. This prevents folks from producing better th
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Agree.
The real frustration on all of this is that Lightning *IS* a superior physical connector to USB-C. It is more durable and has fewer delicate parts in the port. Lightning ports are easy to keep clean than USB-C.
*All Apple had to do was to was open license the thing so that the USB consortium could use it.*. But they refuse, for the reasons you cite above.
This is not about protecting the consumer, If it was, Apple would have let others use Lightning.
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The real frustration on all of this is that Lightning *IS* a superior physical connector to USB-C.
You're kidding, right? Lightning connectors slowly destroy themselves if used for power due to the design. (This has something to do with the grounding pins being at the same level as the power pins, such that they both connect at the same time, which can cause a small spark when you plug the device in.) Lightning simply can't handle as much power as USB-C can - there's a reason Apple themselves use it to charge their own laptops.
Apple themselves claim USB-C is superior to Lightning. They "upgraded" the iPa
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Lightning connectors slowly destroy themselves if used for power due to the design. (This has something to do with the grounding pins being at the same level as the power pins, such that they both connect at the same time, which can cause a small spark when you plug the device in.)
Nope. That will happen no matter how the pins are arranged. Whichever one is shorter gets the arc, polarity is wholly irrelevant. It's not caused by the connector, it's caused by the device being hungry for current at all times. Since USB-C has negotiation I hope it doesn't do that. Probably does.
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Nope. That will happen no matter how the pins are arranged. Whichever one is shorter gets the arc, polarity is wholly irrelevant.
Indeed though in principle, one could presumably have a short data pin. If that get disconnected, the device could stop drawing power. That would be neat.
Hope the legislation is strong (Score:2)
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You can dictate whatever you want elsewhere. EU isn't dictating what you use elsewhere. If apple wants to make a charge port that is unique to each port, where charge port is DRM'd and you need to pay apple to pair your device to each charger so it will accept charging from it, they're free to do that elsewhere. They can even use their standard justification of "safety, security" there. You don't want your phone to accept any charger, it may send too much charge down your phone, and cause it to burn because
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So yes, Apple will bow and introduce the ability to charge iPhones with USB-C in the next generation, your little fantasies about Apple going rogue notwithst
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Oh noes, they lost the respect of an anonymous coward. How will they make it through the day without slitting their wrists?
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Yep - if this law had passed 15 years ago, we wouldn't have USB C for charging now.
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This looks like overreach on the part of the EU.
It is not. The EU has asked manufacturers to reduce E-waste by coming up with a standard for a long time now. The manufacturers failed to do that, so they are now getting a regulatory requirement to get their head out of their backsides. There was ample warning, nothing happened, so now it gets regulated by law.
And in actual reality, pretty much everybody has moved to USB-C PD already or is moving there, because it is a good standard that makes sense and works. Sure, you get USB-C PD PSUs that can do 3.5A a
That's fine but I worry about the next interface (Score:3)
I don't think Apple will cry too much about this. They seem to have been evolving away from Lightning and towards USB-C for years. I'm not sure they see much advantage to having proprietary connectors today.
Problem is tomorrow. If some bright spark at Apple comes up with a better connector (fewer pins, magnetic rather than physical retainers, smaller, God only knows what), now they have a problem. They'd like to use the new connector, customers might actually like the improvement, but now they need to somehow negotiate with the EU first? And if they have to make it an industry standard first, where's the incentive for Apple to pay that bright spark to look into better connectors?
USB-C and Lightning didn't just happen: people had to decide to spend money to bring them about. People will be less willing to spend the money if they have to share the benefit with everyone else in the industry and that means we'll see slower innovation. Do we care? Eh, I don't know. I thought micro USB was pretty good until I saw a Lightning connector. What's the next cool thing that we won't see?
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USB-C and Lightning didn't just happen: people had to decide to spend money to bring them about.
All Apple had to do to keep their connector was license it to everyone else under FRAND terms but they weren't interested in that, they wanted to keep it unique and proprietary specifically for the purposes of lock-in and monopoly. They tightened their grasp too much for the EU, which is apparently not yet wholly under the control of corporate interests. Now they've burned their hand. Frankly though Apple will give zero shits. They got their money out of their proprietary connector. Now their customers are
Re:That's fine but I worry about the next interfac (Score:5, Insightful)
Problem is tomorrow.
It's only a problem if you haven't read the proposal. The proposal includes periodic review to see if USB-C is still appropriate. The mandate doesn't mean that 10 years from now we'll still be using it.
They'd like to use the new connector, customers might actually like the improvement, but now they need to somehow negotiate with the EU first?
They can. There's nothing in this proposal that prevents other connectors or charging systems from existing on a device. But that would require two ports. And likely different looking ones which would trigger Apple's form over function engineers.
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They will probably go to high power wireless charging. It has the added benefit of cooking the battery so the user has to buy a replacement sooner.
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I wonder what the EU boffins think about that.
You could look it up. The entire second study commissioned by the EU focused almost exclusively on the impact of wireless charging on the directive and its goals. And the answer was: Wireless charging was insufficiently wide spread or mature enough to warrant any consideration in the harmonisation standard and doesn't have a material impact on e-waste at present.
If my phone has a wireless charger, does it also need a USB-C port?
No. The goal is e-waste reduction from chargers, not the ability to charge your device. If your device only charges wirelessly then there's no cha
So in ten years... (Score:2)
are they going to allow for an upgrade of standards? If that's not already in the language of the law, it's a big gaping flaw that should be addressed.
Sure, I can totally see why making everyone use USB-C may be a good idea, but only if that standard is allowed to expire after a decade and make room for new technology. Otherwise, this just stifles innovation.
Then again, the EU doesn't seem like the place where new technologies are being made. That's happening everywhere else.
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Then again, the EU doesn't seem like the place where new technologies are being made. That's happening everywhere else.
Hahahaha, you need to start looking at reality there.
Thank g_d for this (Score:2)
Thank g_d the people who brought us ever improving generations of charging ports, driven by competition, will now be tamed to heed the bureaucrats' superior vision of how their technology should work. This is a big win for consumers, who have had to put up with the likes of Google and Apple and their tone-deaf product designers.
This is the brilliance of government. (Or is it a meta-government?)
(The know-littles are taking control of the know-mores. Be afraid.)
New phone can't fit the old charger? (Score:2)
So you throw it out and it lands in the ocean around some porpoise's neck.
Power sources in general (Score:2)
- Power Tools
- SLR Cameras
- EV Bikes, cars etc.
etc.
We all know that every manufacturer wants to lock you into their 'system' by virtue of their battery packs. Why aren't we, as consumers, demanding standardization along with right-to-repair so that cheap cells can be replaced rather than buying expensive, custom power packs that are welded together?
Hopefully, for the last time... (Score:2)
Hopefully the headphones won't have an innie (Score:2)
The next generation has a flush connector that is magnetically attached. Much better design as it rinses off very well.
Of course, being Europe, we probably have to click a button to acknowledge we are using headphones and the connection might be monitored by the device.
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Nope. Usb-C is already used on the majority of smartphones, tablets, and laptops currently on the market.
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This doesn't really apply as the standards aren't changing
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