Brazil Is Also Considering Making USB-C Chargers Mandatory For iPhones (theverge.com) 76
Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel has launched a public consultation on a proposal to make USB-C chargers mandatory for all smartphones sold in the country. The Verge reports: It's the latest example of lawmakers and regulators turning to USB-C as a common charging standard for phones. The EU passed a law on the matter earlier this month, making USB-C mandatory for a range of electronic gadgets (including smartphones) by the end of 2024, and in the US some Democrat politicians are pushing for similar legislation. "Aware of the aforementioned movements in the international market, Anatel's technical area evaluated the topic and presented a proposal with a similar approach for application in the Brazilian market," said Anatel in a blog post (English translation via Google Translate).
In documents supporting the public consultation, Anatel said the advantages for making USB-C mandatory were primarily reducing e-waste and increasing convenience for customers. Disadvantages included higher costs to enforce the regulation and the possibility the law would discourage companies from developing new, better standards. Anatel says its public consultation will run until August 26th.
In documents supporting the public consultation, Anatel said the advantages for making USB-C mandatory were primarily reducing e-waste and increasing convenience for customers. Disadvantages included higher costs to enforce the regulation and the possibility the law would discourage companies from developing new, better standards. Anatel says its public consultation will run until August 26th.
Government overreach (Score:2)
As a consumer, I think it would be convenient if all electronics were standardized, so that the same power supplies, plugs, etc. would work for all my gadgets. It's a shame that it doesn't work that way.
But I don't think the government should mandate how a private company designs its products. That's a slippery slope, and could end up hurting companies and consumers alike when technology evolves. What if there were a much smaller connector in the future, or wireless charging became ubiquitous? Would compani
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Interesting. And what's your opinion on Rowing vs Wading?
It's the same old pattern: small government for them, big government for the others, especially those with a uterus.
Re: Government overreach (Score:1)
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As a consumer, I think it would be convenient if all electronics were standardized, so that the same power supplies, plugs, etc. would work for all my gadgets. It's a shame that it doesn't work that way.
But I don't think the government should mandate how a private company designs its products. That's a slippery slope, and could end up hurting companies and consumers alike when technology evolves. What if there were a much smaller connector in the future, or wireless charging became ubiquitous? Would companies still be forced to include USB C jacks? It's just a lousy idea for some government agency to dictate technical designs. That's how we got the SLS rocket.
Lol, your two statements contradict each other so much. The only reason cell phones started using micro USB was because the EU told them to. Companies sure as hell aren't going to standardize for your benefit, so keep on wishing.
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And yet, the reason we have USB-C is because we had Lightning. Apple basically wanted to show there were improvements that could be made, so went from their 30 pin connector (back in the B and mini B days) to Lightning.
In fact, there were rumors that said USB-C was created by Apple
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What if someone was to come up with a better port (call it USB D)? You've legislated USB-C be mandatory, so what happens now? Does that port get adopted? It might be superior technology,but if a big market is forced to not use it, it might just end up being a niche item that consumers don't get to see used because they couldn't. (And we know USB-C isn't a great port, there are numerous problems with it).
Are you that dumb on purpose? At least make it a little harder to show that you have absolutely no idea of you're talking about, it's not even fun.
https://www.androidauthority.c... [androidauthority.com]
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I tend to agree with you. Looking at this you have to ask, what about other phones? Singling out Apple just seems a poorly thought out act of governance.
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Other phones have already settled on USB-C. Apple is the only oddball.
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The technical requirement is the easy part. Demonstrating proper compliance is the pain.
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I don't see this being a burden at all, let alone a significant one.
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Well you might want to examine your assumptions. After all, there was no need for you to say that in that first place as it was beyond obvious.
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Looking at this you have to ask, what about other phones? Singling out Apple just seems a poorly thought out
We single out Apple because the industry was asked to self regulate and everyone *except* for Apple did so. Play stupid games win stupid prizes.
It's like saying you're singling out someone who murdered someone else by trying them in the courts. Yeah, we single them out because other people didn't go around murdering people. Much the same here, the singular bad actor is singled out. ... Except they aren't because precisely none of the laws mention Apple by name.
Re:Government overreach (Score:5, Insightful)
But I don't think the government should mandate how a private company designs its products. That's a slippery slope, and could end up hurting companies and consumers alike when technology evolves. What if there were a much smaller connector in the future, or wireless charging became ubiquitous? Would companies still be forced to include USB C jacks? It's just a lousy idea for some government agency to dictate technical designs. That's how we got the SLS rocket.
In the case of the EU, they didn't come out shooting and demanding everyone use USB-C. *Years ago* they pretty much send notice to the various industry groups strongly suggesting that they figure out a common standard amongst themselves to combat electronic waste, or risk having a standard picked FOR them.
It wasn't a bunch of unnamed EU bureaucrats who mandated everyone to use USB-C, it was the Samsungs, LGs, Huaweis and Amazons of the world that did. The industry groups could have gotten together and picked/designed/whatever something completely different if they felt like it, but the consensus was that USB-C was more than adequate.
It wasn't until years later when USB-C became the primary standard used by the vast majority of manufacturers that the EU is now mandating the holdouts to follow suit as well.
This really isn't anything new, the government mandates standards for manufacturers to follow all the time: you're not allowed to sell unfiltered cigarettes anymore either. Apple is just pissed because it takes away their proprietary standard that has allowed them to overcharge for cables, chargers, and other accessories for years. Even then, if they are truly convinced that lightning is so much better, there is nothing preventing them from creating a phone with two charger ports, lightning AND USB-C side-by-side -- they just don't want to.
"But what if we invent something different in the future that needs more power?!" is really no excuse to not use USB-C NOW since it is more than capable of providing sufficient power for literally every single phone on the market or in the production pipeline. It's not like Apple & the other holdouts didn't see this coming.
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What if there were a much smaller connector in the future, or wireless charging became ubiquitous? Would companies still be forced to include USB C jacks?
Standards can change, you know. An easy example: NTSC didn't stop us from developing HDTV. Having that standard in place actually made innovation in that space easier, not harder.
Standards level the playing field, increasing competition which drives prices down and technology forward.
To answer your question, probably, for a while, USB C jacks will be on devices even after wireless charging become ubiquitous, should that happen for some bizarre reason. That overlap is a very good thing. Though depending
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The EU srandard is already "either USB-C or wireless or both". It only applies to devices that can be charged via a wired cable. Wireless only charging is allowed.
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The EU srandard is already "either USB-C or wireless or both". It only applies to devices that can be charged via a wired cable. Wireless only charging is allowed.
That's kind of contradictory, USB-C or wireless or both means that if it's capable of wireless charging, then it's okay to also have non-USB C charging as well. Did you mean "It only applies to devices that can *only* be charged via a wired cable."? Aren't all current Apple phones capable of wireless charging? If so, then they don't need to switch to USB-C and can continue using Lightning. Though I really wish they would switch over, it's getting kind of stupid at this phase with their mix of USB-C and Lig
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Or, you know, you could actually read the requirements directly rather than relying upon second-hard retellings.
You have a link?
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You mean this? [europa.eu] It's not exactly top secret.
Re: Government overreach (Score:2)
NTSC continues to bite us in the arse. HDTV was a chance to reset things, but no, weâ(TM)re still dealing with fractional frame rates and interlaced continent. Ugh, BS like drop frame vs. non-drop frame time codes in 2022.
= no low voltage grid (Score:1)
If the government owns the electrical grid and companies connect via things like wallwarts, then there's no coordination to create a situation where you can just plug your phone into a plane to charge it without a wallwart.
In fact, it means every phone needs it's own wallwart and there's no low voltage power supply at societal scale.
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It's a shame that it doesn't work that way.
But I don't think the government should mandate how a private company designs its products.
Either it's a shame or it isn't. Make up your mind. The "private company" is a) not private, it's publicly held and b) can either comply or not sell its products in a given market, they are not forced them to make a product a certain way. They can choose not to, and they can sell it in places that permit them to do so.
That's a slippery slope, and could end up hurting companies and consumers alike when technology evolves. What if there were a much smaller connector in the future, or wireless charging became ubiquitous? Would companies still be forced to include USB C jacks?
This is a dumb question because, like The Professor said, no changes are permanent — but change is. If it can be changed now, it can be changed again later. Further, much of this type of
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It's just a lousy idea for some government agency to dictate technical designs.
Strange attitude. Did you actually ever leave your yahoo farm? I mean: you have internet, other wise we would not see your mindless rant.
Would companies still be forced to include USB C jacks?
No, the law/standard would be upgraded. I mean: that is plain obvious or not?
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But I don't think the government should mandate how a private company designs its products.
Sure. Let's put lead back in paint while we're at it. Honestly there is not a single product anywhere on the planet that doesn't have governments mandate aspects of its design. Even the existing iPhone while not using USB-C has an endless stream of regulations in the name of both safety and the environment (which is largely what the whole common charging scheme at least in Europe is about).
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Can you imagine if the government took that attitude towards mains electricity? Depending on your provider, it might be 110V, it might be 240V, it might be single phase, it might be three phase. The socket might have two pins or three, earth or no earth, round holes or square ones. Apple would have its own special sockets with rounded corners and 137.3V AC 1.5 phase.
USB-C was created by the industry, not the government. The USB Forum set the specifications for the connector and for charging. In the EU's cas
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Can you imagine if the government took that attitude towards mains electricity? Depending on your provider, it might be 110V, it might be 240V, it might be single phase, it might be three phase. The socket might have two pins or three, earth or no earth, round holes or square ones.
Ah, I see you too have encountered NEMA. Also you missed split phase from there.
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That's a slippery slope,
A fallacious argument. Europe mandated USB charging on phones and nothing bad happened. In fact, the whole world benefited... or did you like the bad old day where every phone had it's own proprietary charger?
and could end up hurting companies and consumers alike when technology evolves.
Laws aren't immutable, they are written for the present day.
It's just a lousy idea for some government agency to dictate technical designs. That's how we got the SLS rocket.
This is an oversimplification of the situation.
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It's just a lousy idea for some government agency to dictate technical designs. That's how we got the SLS rocket.
This is an oversimplification of the situation.
Although it does show what happens when governments get to pick winners and losers.
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Although it does show what happens when governments get to pick winners and losers.
Also not true. The SLS was a mess from it's inception as it had parts made in every state. This is an example of trying to please everyone and ending up with an overpriced and inferior product.
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Although it does show what happens when governments get to pick winners and losers.
Also not true. The SLS was a mess from it's inception as it had parts made in every state. This is an example of trying to please everyone and ending up with an overpriced and inferior product.
It's a perfect example of the government picking winners & losers (each state needs their piece so their congress-folk can thump their chests about creating jobs in their state). Without "spreading the wealth", you could create a cheaper and more efficient process with the best companies for the job.
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It's a perfect example of the government picking winners & losers
Literally not what is happening in that situation. You have made it clear you don't understand the concept. Good day.
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But I don't think the government should mandate how a private company designs its products.
So, are you against automobile safety standards? What about environmental standards? Consumer law?
Companies are amoral, they'll improve their products/services if and ONLY if threatened by competition or compelled through regulation.
How long has Google's "don't do evil" motto managed to survive in the real world?
Any mobile device (Score:2)
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Well if you enjoy destroying the planet then let us watch and wait for companies to advocate on their own...
Uh, we kind of did that already. Common sense actually did prevail in the long run, which is why we're basically down to arguing for two standards across most portable devices (USB-C, and whatever Apple is pimping), instead of seventeen standards across nine voltages and seven types of plugs. Guessing you don't recall when you needed a different charger for each phone in the house? Even the average junk drawer, couldn't hold that much Greed.
And we allow companies to destroy the planet by watching them ad
Re: What a great use of legislature time (Score:1)
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I was thinking more generally about all of the DC appliances i have, including laptop chargers, routers, etc. Maybe I am off topic, but the shit show still exists and I have solved it by splicing buck converters together.
Unfortunately a gaming laptop, a cheap router, and a Raspberry Pi, hardly have the same power requirements.
Standardizing all of those kinds of devices, means the largest voltage requirement wins to cover essentially every DC-powered appliance, which basically translates to less efficient devices. What we'll trade in less physical waste, we'll likely consume and burn (as in coal/oil-fired power plants) in power draw.
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What if the government could work on two things at once? Yeah it's a crazy concept. The government already does these things. The FCC makes sure your cell phones and tv stations aren't spewing harmonics or interfering with other services. NIST does a damn good job of making sure the devices that the FCC uses are accurate. I have a pair of calipers on my desk that are certified accurate thanks to the standards from NIST.
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Can't do that. That's an Apple patent.
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When the lawmakers finish telling the phone companies how to design the power receptacles, they should require at least 6 color options, 3 of them primary colors, and micromanage the radius of the corners and the size of the “notch”.
Fortunately the power receptacles in your house, mandated to a government standard (NEMA 5-15 IIRC) - the ones you actually plug your phone charger into for power - are also available in a range of colors and styles to suit your décor.
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Cause theres obviously nothing else happening on the planet that might require the attention of our elected officials.
Fortunately elected officials aren't as simple as you and are able to *shock* do multiple things at once. I know this is a trait that is unheard of on Slashdot where people collectively shit their pants and then cry in the corner of the room when their daily to-do task has more than one item on it, but it's true. There are people in the world who can manage more than one task.
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I need to manage 3 lengths of wire instead of one, and this is beyond my capabilities. I demand that my lawmakers fix this terrible, horrible, YYUuGGEE problem for me.
Cry me a river
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Cause theres obviously nothing else happening on the planet that might require the attention of our elected officials.
There is plenty of things that need attention but there is a distinct shortage of people willing to address them.
serial ports should be enough for everyone (Score:4, Funny)
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Yeah and companies would still be at it had the EU not told them to cut that shit out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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a) no one is running around and claiming any credit
b) the EU announces pretty early which laws are work in progress - so obviously the industry started migrating to a common standard
There are no Holy EU Bureaucrats involved. Laws are made by the EU parliament, which consists of members that are citizens of the member states and elected by their peer citizens. Plain and simple, just like in any other democracy.
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Any examples? :P
Otherwise you look simply like an anti EU troll
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By the time the Holy EU Bureaucrats were done talking and actually passed this thing, pretty much everyone has standardized on Micro-USB anyway
Because when the "holy EU Bureaucrats" as you so stupidly put it started talking they said "short your shit out or we sort it out for you". And people did, so thanks to them everyone standardised on micro B for a few years until a better standard came along.
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By the time the Holy EU Bureaucrats were done talking and actually passed this thing, pretty much everyone has standardized on Micro-USB anyway
Yeah that's generally how sane governments work. The intention is announced before legislation so that when legislation is passed people are actually already in compliance and don't play catchup.
Hint: The EU first announced their intentions back when *every* device had a unique port, and back when the smallest USB connector on the market was Mini-USB Type B
Wrong side (Score:2)
For power outlets government mandates usually cover the type of outlet/plug to be used at the wall, rather than at the actual device. So - we have the same outlets (more or less, in one country), but how the other end of that wire connects to the device is mostly up to the device manufacturer.
I am unsure why mobile devices must be mandated more so than any other device. Mandate wall charger physical standard and power output (usb port?) and leave the other end well enough alone. I certainly prefer the light
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Lightning might be more durable in a sideways impact than Type C. It is literally inferior in all other ways. It has less functionality, and limits charging to 33W (in fact, much less in most cases.)
Type C is actually capable of carrying the Lightning signal on its reassignable pins, so if Apple had any integrity what they would do is use the Type C connector and make an adapter to let you use your Lightning crap if you want to. But Apple has already suggest that using Type C would mean their Lightning acce
Sooo.... (Score:1)
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I wouldn't put it past Apple to sue the EU, or do something to their devices just to be assholes while still "complying". The most likely one to me is they'll remove cabled charg
Virtue Signalling. (Score:2)
The whole point of the common charger policy in the EU was to prevent shit ending up in the landfill. Companies will already comply with the new rules anyway because no one will give Brazil a special phone with a different connector.
In the meantime in Brazil it is currently illegal to sell a phone without a charger [slashdot.org], meaning the entire fucking point of the common charger policy is null and void in Brazil.
They should focus on what's important.
Good (Score:2)
USB-C coming to iPhone next year/gen (Score:2)
Why bother? (Score:2)
Why would any single country bother to mandate USB-C charging ports? Since the EU has mandated it, and Apple wants to sell their phones in the EU, they will produce phones with USB-C ports. And because it costs more to develop and manufacture twice as many models, they will probably ditch lightning and switch entirely to USB-C.
So, this is our windmill (Score:2)
Wouldn't a BETTER focus be on how the ancient practice of multiple voltages being used in PCs are all forced to a given voltage, then adapted to AC? If we're standardizing, why don't we start with some voltage and standard and make all components have to be built at that native power over N years?
Seems like double wasted effort since the EU is going to force some iPhones to