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EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

xda-developers.com

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Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#391

Post by zepto »

xdennis wrote: post #349
sidewndr46 wrote: post #287

Does anyone feel it is a little strange to have a government entity mandating a physical interconnect? I guess it has worked out well enough for receptacles. But on a phone it acts as a data connection as well. I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything.

(I don't know if you are, but) this is what I find quite weird about Americans: they think it's unfair for the government to regulate a trillion dollar company, but they find nothing wrong when a company treats its platform like fiefdom (i.e. no rights for the users). You can be banned from Twitter for saying something like "men aren't women", but God forbid we reduce Apple's profits by making them not sell so many d…

In both cases, the government is not regulating the behavior of the company.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#392

Post by Invictus0 »

toyg wrote: post #332
Invictus0 wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to work at a company whose products included USB-C ports that only supported cable insertion in a single orientation--if the cable was inserted incorrectly, it would fry the board. Manufacturers have a lot of freedom to cut corners with this standard in all different places, and you better believe that they are going to do that to the greatest possible extent.

Warranty laws in the EU (2 years mandatory) make this less of a problem - eventually a manufacturer must realize they'll make more money doing things right than replacing tons of fried returns.

This particular company simply made USB-C cables with massive overmolded pokeyokes that ensured they could only be inserted in the proper orientation--which works great until some poor bastard comes along and tries to assemble the thing with the cable he brought from home. Oh well, not my problem anymore.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#393

Post by chefkoch »

beezischillin wrote: post #373
FabHK wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One nice and welcome example of consumer-friendly legislation, btw: The EU prohibited mobile operators from charging voice and data roaming fees within the EU. So, now on holiday in Spain, say, you can just keep using your mobile contract including free minutes and data. (A typical deal is 10 GB data.) When traveling outside the EU, it's still best to buy a local SIM to avoid the ludicrous roaming charges, but there'…

That's strange because I have separate roaming data in my contract and it's way less than my local one.

Then you have either a very old contract or one of the special no roaming ones.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#394

Post by mikepurvis »

Freak_NL wrote: post #372
FabHK wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One nice and welcome example of consumer-friendly legislation, btw: The EU prohibited mobile operators from charging voice and data roaming fees within the EU. So, now on holiday in Spain, say, you can just keep using your mobile contract including free minutes and data. (A typical deal is 10 GB data.) When traveling outside the EU, it's still best to buy a local SIM to avoid the ludicrous roaming charges, but there'…

Very interesting (or disturbing) in this regard is the UK after Brexit, where one by one the mobile operators are all reintroducing roaming charges now that the relevant EU law no longer applies.

Elections have consequences.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#395

Post by JumpCrisscross »

ethbr0 wrote: post #280

From the announcement https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_... (linked in article) > Today, the Commission is proposing: > A harmonised charging port for electronic devices: USB-C will be the common port. > Harmonised fast charging technology will help prevent that different producers unjustifiably limit the charging speed and will help to ensure that charging speed is the same when using any c…

Does this mean the iPhone going powerless (EDIT: portless) would render the rule moot?

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#396

Post by simonh »

GordonS wrote: post #301
sidewndr46 wrote: post #287

Does anyone feel it is a little strange to have a government entity mandating a physical interconnect? I guess it has worked out well enough for receptacles. But on a phone it acts as a data connection as well. I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything.

No, I don't. Here the EU is creating legislation that forces manufacturers to increase interoperability, be more consumer-friendly, and more climate friendly. This all seems within the remit of governments to me. > I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything. Or course not, it's not like…

The fact is Lightning is so widely used in practice that force deprecating it would drive an awful lot of kit into land fills.

If it was one of the dozen or so variations of little USB with 2% or 3% market share each you'd have a point, but those have mostly gone already.

I don't expect Lightning to be around forever, but then I don't expect USB-C to be around forever either. Some day it will be super-ceded - should be super-ceded.

Apple has shown remarkable consistency and discipline in managing it's connector designs. Far, far more so than any other manufacturer I can think of. They were also at the forefront of adopting USB-C in the first place and spearheaded making it so popular.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#397

Post by adtac »

ravenstine wrote: post #321
ubercow13 wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government already mandates the electricity interconnect one step back at the wall socket. This is just extending that to modern devices.

I guess it depends on how far you want it to go. If electric sockets aren't standard then that creates bottlenecks in infrastructure interchangeability. To me, I don't see why government has any business in USB. Bluetooth maybe since it takes up the air. But USB? It's bad enough that wall sockets haven't improved. Will we be stuck with USB-C long after its natural EOL?

smartphones are critical to living life in most developed countries. it's the same level of utility as electricity at this point. I don't see anything wrong with requiring a standard port.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#398

Post by rglullis »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #380
rglullis wrote: post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I expect the hammer will come down. So, what are they going to do? Fine Apple for a couple of million euros? Give another reason for Apple to increase the prices of their products even more?

They would block all shipments of Apple devices at the border of the EU after a certain point. The EU controls the customs rules for most of Europe.

So, it's the latter. They will have another excuse to increase the prices further. "We had to spend $BILLIONS to change the design of the iPhone, so this is why the new iPhone EU Edition is going to be 1400€".

This is the kind of thing that really makes me understand Brexit.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#399

Post by toyg »

rglullis wrote: post #368
toyg wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple "complied" by putting USB-A on their chargers and calling it a day. EU authorities grumbled but didn't opt for a lenghty legal challenge; instead, they talked a bit more and came up with this updated legislation. Note how they give Apple something (the unbundled charger) while becoming more restrictive in other areas... if Apple continue taking the piss after this gets passed, I expect the hammer will come down…

> I expect the hammer will come down. So, what are they going to do? Fine Apple for a couple of million euros? Give another reason for Apple to increase the prices of their products even more?

At worst, they can block sales across the Union. Somehow I don't think Cook would risk losing their second-largest market on a triviality like this, but who knows.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#400

Post by zepto »

zepolen wrote: post #358
sbuk wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is proprietary about Apples chargers? They sell USB-A and USB-C wall warts, and their devices happily charge on non-Apple chargers. Their laptop chargers are USB-C and have been for some time. I charge my MBP from a Lenovo power brick. The only proprietary part is the lightning connector.

> What is proprietary about Apples chargers? > The only proprietary part is the lightning connector. > I charge my MBP from a Lenovo power brick Way to avoid the issue at hand, can you charge your iPhone using your Android charger/cable? Laptop chargers aren't the problem, phone chargers are. As you saw, USB-C solved the problems for laptops, it's about time we solve it for phones too.

You can certainly charge an iPhone using an android charger.
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