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EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

engadget.com

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Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#301

Post by doikor »

jonwinstanley wrote: post #143
jonwinstanley wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. So silly. Plus Apple Watches have always been only charged via conductive, so it’s likely phones could have gone that way too within a short space of time if the lack of a data cable was deemed acceptable.

Actually, if they go wireless then they don’t need to have USB-C. Only devices charged by cable need to have USB-C.

Even devices that charge with a cable do not need USB-C if they are too small to physically fit a USB-C port. Though at that point they wont fit a Lightning port either but instead some weird exposed charging pins or wireless charging.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#302

Post by DannyBee »

scarface74 wrote: post #264
DannyBee wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I have no expectation, for example, that these same regulators will stay on top of this and revise it when USB-C stops being the preferred or best choice." Why? Everything is usb or lightning because people complained, and everyone but apple listened to people. If USB-C is no longer the best thing, rather than complain to 10 companies, and hope they all agree, they will complain to regulators, and hope they agree. W…

Yes, because regulators are the best people to design technical products.

They aren't designing anything, they mandate an overall requirement - "You must all use the same charge port".

This is no different than any other customer - they are just representing the overall customers who would otherwise not have enough power or voice to achieve what they want.

Also - if you don't want your industry regulated, maybe don't make a mess of it?

Regulators rarely pay attention to things that are working super-well.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#303

Post by modo_mario »

agilob wrote: post #210

USB-C is still copyrighted so it's really just forcing customers to pay for proprietary connectors? This also bans cheap phones like these https://www.androidpolice.com/nokias-newest-android-go-phone...

I don't think there's any licensing fees for the spec itself no? Only a small fee to the USB-IF non profit every year or 2 years (and there's sublicensers) for the logo and vendor id which shows spec compliance (Which is the same for micro USB I believe so i can't think of any non proprietary connectors customers would go for regardless.)

>This also bans cheap phones like these

I'd assume those new phones get a new iteration or 2 or 3 by that time regardless. It tends to go quite fast in the phone market.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#305

Post by kiawe_fire »

amluto wrote: post #283
ericmay wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> EU is a densely populated place where having multiple charging networks of incomparable plugs will be horrible. In the short term, yes. In the long term however competition between these different standards will cause consolidation and overall technology improvement. The next step will be regulating wireless charging so that all devices have to use/do the same thing, rinse-wash-repeat. > Europeans don't trust that…

> In the long term however competition between these different standards will cause consolidation and overall technology improvement. If you think that’s a superior solution, then the regulation should actually support it: require that all EV charging connectors have a free published specification, disallow patents on them, and require that interoperability be permitted without cost or other penalty. (e.g. anyone sho…

I was set to be all libertarian about this, but your suggestion is probably more level headed.

There should be some common ground. Regulations that encourage innovation (perhaps even with timed financial incentives) while also ensuring that the best ideas are eventually freely adoptable across the board.

Seems like, as with most issues, people take one extreme or the other, when a common sense middle ground could be found with proper planning and forethought.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#306

Post by ericd »

arcticbull wrote: post #277
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if Apple finally comes out with wired mag safe for the iPhone? Does they count as wireless? Or would it be illegal in Europe because a wire was still involved even if the connection was magnetic?

How about we wait until Apple comes up with a MagSafe connector for phones they want to use and the big bad regulators won't let them? Tim Cook has his own PR team, haha.

Don’t you think this might discourage them from investing the R&D to make something that’ll require a fight to release?

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#307

Post by wumpus »

aiisjustanif wrote: post #235
samatman wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Will EU block innovation? It already has. Tesla's connector is nicer (you can call that subjective but it isn't) and the supercharging network in the US is deploying the clunky standard sort of connector as well. If EU legislation were universal, that would preclude any future where the superior connector is licensed and takes over from the crappy designed-by-committee alternative, because Tesla would be forced to…

Imagine if we had this outlook towards plugs in houses in the US. Standardization is underrated.

There are a bunch of different plugs in houses in the US, look at electric stoves and clothes dryers.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#308

Post by mrtksn »

ericd wrote: post #294
mrtksn wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can copy the US if the cable freedom gives birth to superior cables on the long run. EU stuff is't written on stone, it changes as it needs to. I guess In Europe we kind of like the idea of being able to overthrow the people in power if they screw us too much. It's much more socially acceptable to burn cars and occupy streets and decapitate politicians than shooting CEO's when you are really not happy with the way…

You’re really ignoring the amount of inertia that a deployed fleet of cars creates. You can’t just change standards with the snap of a finger once there are 10M cars in the field with it, once that happens, you’re stuck with that standard for probably decades, as the downsides of changing it become much more acute than the potential upsides.

If the US comes up with the superior cables, EU will simply allow it be optional and the industry will retrofit as needed.

Europe is very old, we are used to have old stuff laying around. Old building that definitely don't meet the modern requirements are everywhere. Besides, the states with Cable Freedom will also have all the obsolate cables when the industry finally comes up with the perfect cable.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#309

Post by trasz »

bestouff wrote: post #227
andrewla wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not correct so far as I can tell -- the amendment to directive 2014/53/EU [1] says > Hand-held mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, in so far as they are capable of being recharged via wired charging, shall: > (a) be equipped with the USB Type-C receptacle, as described in the standard EN IEC 62680-1-3:2021 ‘Universal serial bus inte…

Well they asked everyone to agree on a standard 10 years ago, but that didn't happen (just because of Apple). So now they forcefully decided.

10 years ago USB 3 wasn't really a thing yet, and so it would be a significant downgrade compared to Lightning.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#310

Post by throwaway92394 »

seu wrote: post #275
mrtksn wrote: post #123

By the way, that's also how Tesla and all other cars have the same electric plug in EU(not the USB mandate but the car plug standardisation mandate). Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is what happens if better solutions are found. Will EU block innovation? That question is addressed in the Q&A: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_... In essence, they seem to believe that wired char…

> Will EU block innovation? Innovation is overrated. And standardising is not blocking. What we need more urgently than innovation is to stop creating so much waste, extracting so much stuff from the earth, and in general reduce consumption. Standardisation accomplishes at least some of that.

> Innovation is overrated. And standardising is not blocking.

Hard disagree? Both lightning and USB C were massive improvements in durability compared to Micro USB - I'd argue lightning is still better in that regard, because there's no thin piece inside the phone that can break (did phone repair, and 99% of the time a "broken" iphone port was just stuck lint).

USB C is not universally better then then Micro, namely it has a much larger footprint both on the connector side and the PCB.

> Will EU block innovation?

So my question is - if there's a new USB standard connector that's smaller, or is inside-out for better durability - is it now prevented from being used?

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