News All hail USB-C! New EU rule will require all phones and electronics to use a standard charger

[Amused]

Finally! Having a universal charging connector/standard for all devices is way past due.

New EU rule will require all phones and electronics to use a standard charger

Apple and other smartphone makers will be required to support USB-C as part of a single charging standard for mobile devices across the European Union by as early as the fall of 2024 under a new law announced Tuesday by EU officials.

www.cnn.com

 

[Dulanic]

Just in time for USB-E 2024, nearly 2025!

 

[Oyeve]

Great! I hate the stupid lightning port and stupid apple.

 

[Commodus]

Great! I hate the stupid lightning port and stupid apple.

Lightning wasn't stupid; it helped Apple deliver some of the main benefits of USB-C (smaller connector, omnidirectional and the like) years before USB-C was even available. And it took a while after that before there was enough of an ecosystem for USB-C to really offer benefits.

Don't get me wrong, Apple benefited from lock-in and should've at least improved the speed a long time ago, but Lightning wasn't just a cash grab; it was Apple refusing to wait years before the industry offered a spec that met its needs. I'll be glad if the iPhone 14 moves to USB-C, but I won't be surprised that Apple didn't rush to adopt the format early on.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Do you notice that your C isn't universally omnidirectional?

On my Motorola Stylus, plugging it in one way will charge slowly, while reversing it will charge rapidly.

 

[MrDaniel]

Do you notice that your C isn't universally omnidirectional?

On my Motorola Stylus, plugging it in one way will charge slowly, while reversing it will charge rapidly.

You sure that isnt a cord manufacturer issue or some of its pins dying? One of my cords seems real bad, maybe it has bad pins or wasn't designed well. Ill give it a try to turn it over.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I'm mixed on this. I think a unified charging standard is good, but this is late and I personally think USB-C is flawed. I think a connector more like Lightning is better, although I think they likely could have made an even batter cable standard.

Also, USB-C itself is a total mess, with it supporting charging from like very low (like sub 1W) all the way up to what like 200W now? Only not all cables/chargers will support that range, and there's very little way to verify that, not to mention the issues with cables claiming support not actually supporting all the features it claimed.

Also, they needed to make a magnetic/wireless standard as that's quickly going to make the USB-C issue moot and we'll be back to square one, only worse as it won't just be the cables but the chargers themselves as well.

Seems that wireless chargers that support multiple devices and brands is a total crapshoot. Was looking for one that could wireless charge a phone and a smartwatch (both Samsung) and seems like most can't offer that reliably. I found one where multiple reviews said that charger finally worked for them, but then many reported that it failed after months. Even the official Samsung chargers had quite a bit of reviews citing it failing or not working properly.

 

[pmv]

I can see there are potential downsides to enforced standardisation. But I'm getting very tired of repeatedly having to get a large cardboard box out of the cupboard and rummage through it for the exactly type of proprietary USB-variant cable that a given device (camera, phone, the other phone, external drive enclosure, old digital music player...) needs (repeatedly peering at connectors 'nope, that one's slightly too large' 'that ones slightly too small' 'that's a fat one, I need a wide one'...).

 

[DeathReborn]

Standard connector, unlocked. Fixing the USB-IF naming fools, unobtainable.

 

[MrSquished]

Guy who was big on creating the iPod and some other big things who left Apple, chimed in on this as a great move

Tony Fadell says requirement for USB-C iPhone is the ‘right thing’

Former Apple VP Tony Fadell became known as “the father of the iPod.” Although he no longer has any ties...

9to5mac.com

"Former Apple VP Tony Fadell became known as “the father of the iPod.” Although he no longer has any ties with Apple, he often shares opinions on what the company has been doing. This time, Fadell shared his thoughts on the European Union’s requirement for iPhone with a USB-C port. The engineer believes that this is the “right thing” to do and that he now sees Apple in a monopolistic position.



Fadell thinks it’s time for USB-C iPhones
The discussion began with a Twitter user wondering if the iPod would be successful if Apple was forced to use USB 1.0 instead of the faster FireWire technology at the time. Fadell then responded by saying that the world “converged on USB-C” as the limits of older standards “have been hit,” but he went far beyond that in defending his point of view.

Apple’s former VP says he’s not worried about the EU forcing Apple and other smartphone makers to adopt USB-C and that “they’re simply forcing Apple to do the right thing.”

In another tweet, Fadell said that the regulation only happened because Apple is having a monopoly-like position. The engineer believes that some regulation and standardization in favor of consumers is necessary, since companies are not always interested in doing the “right thing for societies best interest.”

He also noted that forcing Apple to change the iPhone connector based on the environment argument is “much lot easier than a monopolistic legal trial.” Fadell then said that Apple doesn’t like third parties dictating what it should do. “This is coming from the guy who made the 30 pin connector happen,” he added.

Interestingly, one of his followers pointed out that Apple is against USB-C as the company makes “a lot of money” with the MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) program for certified accessories. Fadell, who was behind the invention of the program, suggests that he agrees with his follower."

 

[ElFenix]

apple was one of the first companies to adopt USB-C back in the day. ipad already ditched lightning. for all apple's ads about how iphone is great for movies it sucks for moving the files off the phone because lightning is just slow nowadays.

 

[tony78]

Finally! Having a universal charging connector/standard for all devices is way past due.

Good move to avoid a lot of future E-waste.