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EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

europarl.europa.eu

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Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#101

Post by gmueckl »

llampx wrote: post #94
gmueckl wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The goal should be to have chargers sold separately. Packaging chargers with the devices does nothing to reduce electronics waste.

That's an anti-consumer move guaranteed to add $20-50 to any phone purchase.

That's a good thing. It guarantees that chargers are truly exchangeable between devices and cuts down on the number of chargers produced and shipped. Let's face it: how many chargers do you need? How many are left over from devices that you replaced and still working?

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#102

Post by gmueckl »

danaris wrote: post #92
Renaud wrote: post #32

Apple really dropped the ball on this and the argument they make (thing about all of the old accessories!) is pretty moot for the consumer. I want all phone to standardise on USB-C. No adapter for Apple, no exception. The point is not just about charging: accessory manufacturers have to develop 2 physical versions of their equipment, for Apple devices and for Android devices. This increases development and manufactur…

The iPad is already moving to USB-C; it's very likely that Apple was already planning to move to USB-C for iPhone chargers within the next year or so (whether because they foresaw a change like this coming, because they felt it was the right thing to do, or just because they, too, want to reduce the number of different connections they have to deal with on the manufacturing side). There are problems with USB-C, howev…

This potential for frying devices is a good indication that USB has become far too complex in the latest iteration. Maybe there is a net gain in splitting power and signaling into two separate connectors? Like, move power supply to a separate USB-A like port. USB-A has larger contact pads, anyway. The data lines on the port could then be used to negotiate a power profile.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#103

Post by jalk »

zaarn wrote: post #51
Renaud wrote: post #32

Apple really dropped the ball on this and the argument they make (thing about all of the old accessories!) is pretty moot for the consumer. I want all phone to standardise on USB-C. No adapter for Apple, no exception. The point is not just about charging: accessory manufacturers have to develop 2 physical versions of their equipment, for Apple devices and for Android devices. This increases development and manufactur…

The EU simply told the manufacturers to agree on a single port or else they would have to regulate one. Apple ruined the party for everyone.

Well the rest of the phone manufacturers settled on mini usb followed by micro usb. Prior to that there were a ton of proprietary phone charger/data cables, so it did help some

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#104

Post by zaarn »

jalk wrote: post #103
zaarn wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU simply told the manufacturers to agree on a single port or else they would have to regulate one. Apple ruined the party for everyone.

Well the rest of the phone manufacturers settled on mini usb followed by micro usb. Prior to that there were a ton of proprietary phone charger/data cables, so it did help some

The EU luckily didn't put their foot down so phones were allowed to progress from mini-usb over micro-usb to USB-C.

It definitely helped a lot (but Apple still kinda ruined it).

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#105

Post by glogla »

em500 wrote: post #20
glogla wrote: post #12

Good. Let's also make 3.5 mm jack mandatory on any device that outputs audio - without dongles.

No, let's not force your particular preference on everybody else.

But now that I'm thinking about it more, yes, let's force my preference for open standards, interoperability and reusability on everybody else. It is the ethically right thing to do, it's best for the people.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#106

Post by coldtea »

Renaud wrote: post #32

Apple really dropped the ball on this and the argument they make (thing about all of the old accessories!) is pretty moot for the consumer. I want all phone to standardise on USB-C. No adapter for Apple, no exception. The point is not just about charging: accessory manufacturers have to develop 2 physical versions of their equipment, for Apple devices and for Android devices. This increases development and manufactur…

>Apple really dropped the ball on this and the argument they make (thing about all of the old accessories!) is pretty moot for the consumer.

Not entirely moot. A billion people (1-2 hundreds of millions in Europe) have at least an old accessory with lightning interface). When the old style interface was deprecated many people were angrt (but at least the new one had some benefits - size, reversibility, etc).

That said, USB-C is where Apple's going as well (e.g. the new laptops, iPad Pro, 2019's USB-C iPhone rumors, which were probably confused with a future model, etc.).

Besides, thanks god Apple didn't move on to the same spec as the other phone manufactures. Instead of USB-C we'd have what they settled-in to: mini USB and then micro USB, two equally horrible designs (the only worse probably being the Micro B USB style, mostly used by external hard disks).

Also people seem to forget that Apple was heavily involved in the design of USB-C, all the way back to thunderbort from when it was an Intel-Apple initiative known as LightPeak. The modern USB-C, as a cable with adaptable "logic", includes support for several interfacing protocols from old-school USB to Thunderbolt. The "speedy" part of USB-C is Thunderbolt:

Thunderbolt is the brand name of a hardware interface developed by Intel (in collaboration with Apple) that allows the connection of external peripherals to a computer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#107

Post by jacknews »

llampx wrote: post #94
gmueckl wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The goal should be to have chargers sold separately. Packaging chargers with the devices does nothing to reduce electronics waste.

That's an anti-consumer move guaranteed to add $20-50 to any phone purchase.

how so?

I see it as 'batteries not included'

So long ss batteries are standardized, it's not a problem.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#108

Post by throwaway9d0291 »

vlozko wrote: post #69

There's a lot to not like about this. I'm going to go under the assumption that USB-C is the standard here. 1. Companies will be forced into paying licensing fees. While not expensive, it's essentially a forced tax on companies so that they get an assigned vendor ID. 2.The language of the directive doesn't give any clarity of upgrading. What happens when the USB standard is updated to a different plug, as it was from…

Honest question: Do you need a vendor ID if your device only supplies/draws power and doesn't use the data lines? Is a vendor ID necessary for things like USB-PD?

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#109

Post by throwaway9d0291 »

llampx wrote: post #94
gmueckl wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The goal should be to have chargers sold separately. Packaging chargers with the devices does nothing to reduce electronics waste.

That's an anti-consumer move guaranteed to add $20-50 to any phone purchase.

I think the idea is that it only adds $20-50 to the first phone purchase. You can use that first charger for all later phones.

In the end it should work out better for you. You no longer have to buy a charger you don't need with every new phone.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#110

Post by jbarberu »

oliwarner wrote: post #54
gambiting wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, at least one reason for different connectors is the fact that USB-C cannot support more than 100W(20V at 5amps). But I agree that literally every single laptop on the market that's below 100W should just use USB-C for charging.

5A is a huge amount of current. For anything. We're talking microwave oven or a couple of desktops. And FWIW, my laptop charger is 2.25A output. There is plenty of room within a 5A envelope for higher current, faster charging battery tech of the future.

5A is an amount of current. It's nonsensical to talk about in isolation. I regularly replace 20A fuses (among the smaller ones) in my car.

5A in the US gives you 550W, not enough to power a microwave. In most (if not all?) countries in the EU you get 1150W from that same 5A.

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