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EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

appleinsider.com

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Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#371

Post by jonplackett »

oxfordmale wrote: post #295
jonplackett wrote: post #279

I thought all these EU tech regulations might do some good But now when I arrive at any website I have to accept cookie policy, then I have to accept that they will invade my privacy and log my data (or waste half an hour un-checking boxes) and only then can I get down to the business of not signing up to their newsletter and not downloading their app. Maybe this is simpler but tech companies seem to find loopholes f…

The alternative is much worse which every company tracking you with your consent. It was scary to see what data Facebook collects on you if you are logged out. I suspect the EU will introduce new legislation in due course, but of course, they are heavily lobbied too by the tech industry, so it may take some time.,

Facebook still are tracking us all though because they’ve just dark-patterned their way around the regulation. So we have the same data sharing, and now I’m annoyed every time I get to a website.

I’m not arguing for a return to what we had. Just pointing out that what we have does not work yet.

Plus lots of companies are clearly in breach - like when they say ‘by continuing to use this site you agree to the terms and conditions’ this is not active consent. But nothing is done.

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#372

Post by georgespencer »

michaelt wrote: post #349
georgespencer wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Folks keep asserting this. Do you have any evidence to support this view?

It's quite well documented that manufacturers have to pay Apple to use lightning connectors, under the MFi scheme. While Apple doesn't issue a price sheet publicly it's been widely reported [1] as $4 per lightning connector - and that in the past it's been as much as $10 per device. $4 per cable in licensing fees for every single cable sold sounds pretty nice to me. I can understand Apple wanting to keep that. [1] ht…

Having to pay Apple does not mean that Apple wishes to use proprietary cables in its devices in order to make money from third parties. Apple has several products/services which one could reasonably assume operate at break even or negative margin (e.g. Apple Developer accounts).

To illustrate (accept you may be too busy to do the research, but I'm trying to show you why a company which does $250bn a year in revenue doesn't give a shit about the max $4 & probably more like 2% licensing fee it takes per cable sold):

1. Why do you believe that this is a profitable endeavour for Apple? 2. Can you think of other reasons they might do this, beyond "making money"? 3. Can you point to the line in Apple's quarterly reporting which includes these cables? Did it spike in the quarters following the introduction of Lightning?

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#373

Post by jonplackett »

FeepingCreature wrote: post #315
jonplackett wrote: post #279

I thought all these EU tech regulations might do some good But now when I arrive at any website I have to accept cookie policy, then I have to accept that they will invade my privacy and log my data (or waste half an hour un-checking boxes) and only then can I get down to the business of not signing up to their newsletter and not downloading their app. Maybe this is simpler but tech companies seem to find loopholes f…

You don't have to accept that, and if you waste half an hour unchecking boxes that site is doing malicious compliance. In my experience it's three clicks or so to turn off data gathering. I could not be happier with the GDPR.

Some sites make you turn off every ad partner individually!

And it’s not individual sites going rogue. It’s clearly a box from an ad network. Not sure how you haven’t come across these.

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#374

Post by jonplackett »

josteink wrote: post #307
jonplackett wrote: post #279

I thought all these EU tech regulations might do some good But now when I arrive at any website I have to accept cookie policy, then I have to accept that they will invade my privacy and log my data (or waste half an hour un-checking boxes) and only then can I get down to the business of not signing up to their newsletter and not downloading their app. Maybe this is simpler but tech companies seem to find loopholes f…

> But now when I arrive at any website I have to accept cookie policy, then I have to accept that they will invade my privacy and log my data (or waste half an hour un-checking boxes) If you have to uncheck the boxes, the site is not GDPR compliant. GDPR says that consent have to be given explicitly, not implicitly with an explicit opt-out option. Thus the EU has massively reduced online tracking, and that is great.

Yes but it still happens all the time!

Some of them are inactive consent too. ‘By continuing to use the site, we own your soul’ etc

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#375

Post by [deleted] »

martin-adams wrote: post #37

Let’s say this rule was in place 10 years ago and we standardised on micro USB. How would it have been possible to advance to the next generation of technology like USB-C. This feels that it’s banking on USB-C being forever future proofed or wireless connections does everything we ever need.

[deleted]

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#376

Post by scarface74 »

swilliamsio wrote: post #281
scarface74 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So because it would be more convenient for you we need government intervention?

Because it would be more convenient for everyone who has ever or will ever own more than one phone, or ever upgrade their phone. Imagine if you needed an adapter to refuel your car, or to plug an electric device into a wall. Genuinely, how is this any different?

And if someone sold a car that needed an adapter, people using their own free will would choose not to buy it.

It’s amazing what people can do without needing the nanny state.

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#377

Post by scarface74 »

Lio wrote: post #303
scarface74 wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seeing that Apple is always bragging about their 90%+ retention rate, not many people are switching from iOS devices and throwing away cables. But is “think about the environment” the new “think about the children” and “terrorism” war cry for more regulation and big government?

I don’t buy iPhones for the cables. I don’t like the needlessly proprietary cable and I actually put that on the list of reasons not to upgrade to a newer iPhone. When I look at switching to Android I weigh the crappy Apple cable against the loss of privacy of moving to Android. The iPhone wins. Just.

Amazing how free will works isn’t it? You as a competent adult are able to judge products and make decisions about tradeoffs and you didn’t need the government to help you do it.

If Apple saw that enough customers switch to Android because of the cable they would change - free markets are amazing.

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#378

Post by Can_Not »

quest88 wrote: post #251
wyattpeak wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Apple genuinely believe that they can provide a better product, and I believe they can too. I just don't care. The inability to borrow cables or swap them between devices in the past was a not insignificant hassle. Keeping boxes of cables, not being able to borrow a friend's charger when visiting, not being able to replace cables except by ordering a new one from the manufacturer half a world away. Constant m…

Buy a different phone that has a common port.

Before the regulation, every phone I owned used a different port.

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#379

Post by [deleted] »

georgebarnett wrote: post #317
thomasahle wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you can buy a USB cable or adapter to charge any phone in the world at any gas station, or corner convince store. And that's exactly because of the first round of EU standardisation. The gas station now has to stock only USB and Apple. If we still had different cables for every single brand of phone, there's no way you'd be able to get them all at most, if at any, gas stations. I recently had to get a new USB-c to…

.. so it’s Apples fault that Android phone makers can’t produce a credible USB-C headphone adapter? Wow. That’s some seriously backwards logic.

[deleted]

Re: EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, vote to push for charging cable standard

#380

Post by defnotashton2 »

dijit wrote: post #306
defnotashton2 wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand how you can think this is needed in the slightest unless you literally can't make a decision yourself. I'm sorry but you can buy a USB cable or adapter to charge any phone in the world at any gas station, or corner convince store. This just simply isn't a problem, it's not a quality of life issue. It's just not. Buy cables with breakout mini, c, and tbunderbolt for 5$. Solved. This type of regulati…

I don’t mean to imply that you’re young, but to say what you just said implies that you didn’t live the life of mobile phones pre-2004 (when the EU charging directive came in). Not only was every phone manufacturer having their own charger, often they would have different charging ports between models or product categories within the same brand! The landscape you’re describing now exists precisely because of this dir…

I was around when cell phones were invented. The peripheral standard developed naturally in the manufacturing industry far before the EU commission. Frankly imo, the EU commission in the 90s had far less impact and was taken far less seriously than today. To credit. Gov with USB industry standard deployment is laughable.
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