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

Post by rglullis » Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 3:29 PM UTC

nindalf wrote: post #553

rglullis wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think Apple is moving in this direction on their own. They sell 4 products that charge by USB-C (Mac, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini) and 4 that use lightning (iPhone, iPhone Mini, iPhone Pro, iPad). But it's a gradual change, each of the last few years has seen a product introduced using USB-C.

Post by ClumsyPilot » Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 3:32 PM UTC

rglullis wrote: post #528

toyg wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody forces you to buy a consumer-unfriendly product that also happens to be arbitrarily expensive. If somebody in Milan can't afford a Ferrari made in Maranello because the damn company insists in pricing their cars beyond what is reasonable for a 4-wheeled vehicle, it doesn't mean Milan should secede from Italy, surely.

Nobody forces you to buy a consumer-unfriendly product, period. Are you also going to push for governments to force Apple to make iPhones with removable batteries? What about the headphone jack? Why not force Apple to open source their OS? Why not block the sale of any product that is made in a country that has concentration camps? These are all valid reasons that make me never want to buy an iOS device. But it is my…

Post by benhurmarcel » Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 3:33 PM UTC

connor-brooks wrote: post #34

An average consumer probably gets a new phone every 1-2 years. That means 50-100g of junk plastic every year per person. This seems very small compared to the amount of non-recyclable plastic I get every time I go to the supermarket (Fruit and veg in plastic wrapping). Are USB cables very resource heavy to make? Is there something that makes them especially bad when compared to other waste?

Post by EduardoBautista » Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 3:34 PM UTC

FabHK wrote: post #366

GordonS wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

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'…

Post by LeonidasXIV » Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 3:35 PM UTC

nickpp wrote: post #455

moviuro wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a symptom of: * Stupid webmasters (you don't need that cookie popup for my session cookie) * Greedy advertisers (that track me) and greedy web publishers that insist on including such privacy-violating scripts and third-parties on their sites * Sheep user (that have become so accustomed to cookie popups they now just keep pressing the most colorful button) Long live uBlock origin and its "annoyances" filters.

So it's everybody else's fault BUT that of the actual people who created rules?