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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

#351

Post by scarface74 »

pixl97 wrote: post #298
scarface74 wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you as a consumer prefer USB-C, buy a phone using USB-C. Why have the government involved?

I hate to be snarky on HN, but are we from the same planet? In the vast majority of devices you accept what the manufacture gives you or you are out of luck, especially when everything these days is protected by some kind of intellectual property. This excuse is old and tired and tends to ignore that large manufactures purposefully make the customer experience worse for higher profits.

Yes and their plenty of phone manufactures that give you a choice of buying phones with USB-C.

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

#352

Post by vel0city »

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…

The tech for wireless charging is not really that new and isn't really changing a large amount. My Nokia 920 uses the same charging standard as the latest iPhones. iPhones can charge on the old charger I have, the 920 can charge on an iPhone charger. That phone came out a decade ago.

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

#353

Post by simion314 »

rootusrootus wrote: post #189
dhzhzjsbevs wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apples racketeering and monopolistic behavior? I think this is a step over the line for regulators but so is apples behavior for the last decade or two when it comes to repairability. Fuck em.

> Apples racketeering and monopolistic behavior? That's a bit over the top, don't you think? When Apple created the Lightning connector, the accepted alternative was micro-USB. And micro-USB is terrible, awful, no-good, crap . Many millions of people are happy Lightning existed to bridge the time before the rest of the world could design a slightly better small USB connector. Which, of course, might still not be as d…

Apple could have at least attempted to standardize his port, but they did not because they charged money when a third pary uses their proprietary ports. So stop crying for poor Apple, they have paid PR people to defend them with better arguments anyway.

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

#354

Post by mmis1000 »

lynguist wrote: post #289
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…

Look, we have the headphone jack (6.35mm) stemming from 1877, and its miniature form (3.5mm) from 1960. It’s ok to let USB-C live for another 60-100 years.

It will probably last for very long consider 24 wire of type c is a lot compares to 4 of 3.5mm jack. And it can actually be repurposed by changing the protocol (software) ?

Probably until someday that 24 physical wire isn't enough for a phone. (but the iPhone don't even use the usb3 yet, why did it even need these bandwidth?)

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

#355

Post by larryett »

bluGill wrote: post #159
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…

The constitution gives US congress the right to set standards for weights and measures, which unless you use a very strict reading says they can set charging standards. I wish they would. Tesla (and Nissan) as early movers 10 years ago can be forgiven for not adopting a standard charger, but now they need to update to the standard. (IIRC both are planning on it)

If only we had mandated VGA 20 years ago I wouldn't have to stress over all these different connections under my monitor.

You can't possibly believe what you typed.

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

#356

Post by potatochup »

mrtksn wrote: post #233
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…

EU is a densely populated place where having multiple charging networks of incomparable plugs will be horrible. When you are not happy with decisions the governments make, it usually means that you should be involved in the process of making the decisions. Europeans don't trust that the industry will always come up with the best solutions for the user, Americans usually don't trust the government doing something well…

Random anecdote: I once got stuck at a friends place in Denmark with my Tesla, because the mobile connector wouldn't work. Turns out despite the voltage and socket being the same, the grounding can vary between countries and the connector wouldn't let me charge (this was back in 2016, I'm not sure if newer mobile connectors are better in that regard)

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

#357

Post by dingleberry420 »

mikkergp wrote: post #208
dingleberry420 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What problem is the EU solving here? Everything works together, except Apple stuff.

What does work together mean in this case, it’s not like we’re talking Ethernet where these devices are communicating to each other. Like I can’t use an android charger? Lightning to usb-c cables are pretty much standard. It seems like in the short term anyways this increases e-waste as all my old Lightning chargers become deprecated.

The other day a coworker's iphone battery was nearly empty. He did not have his charger with me. I offered that he could use mine, an usbc charger that has worked for my past 3 phones and also works with my laptop.

He couldn't use it.

Of course, not being an iphone user, I did not have an adapter. Neither did he, considering he forgot his charger.

The iphone and the usbc charger did not work together.

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

#358

Post by rootusrootus »

iakov wrote: post #293
rootusrootus wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, Apple was moving devices over to USB-C already, they didn't need to be forced. The reason they've held out on the iPhone is because users will complain about new cables ;-). Either way they're going to get criticized. Apple gets credit for creating Lightning to begin with while we waited for something better than micro-USB to come along. I'm glad for USB-C, but damn, it sure took a while.

Let's be honest here, the only reason why they "held out" is the MFi program and the sweet sweet money they receive for it. I'm happy to see EU put a stop to this practice.

Unless you have numbers to back it up, their MFi revenue is peanuts compared to the metric shitload of money they make directly from their customers blowing a grand or more on a phone. I guarantee they prioritize customer satisfaction way, way above MFi revenue.

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

#359

Post by rootusrootus »

MikusR wrote: post #212
rootusrootus wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, Apple was moving devices over to USB-C already, they didn't need to be forced. The reason they've held out on the iPhone is because users will complain about new cables ;-). Either way they're going to get criticized. Apple gets credit for creating Lightning to begin with while we waited for something better than micro-USB to come along. I'm glad for USB-C, but damn, it sure took a while.

Apple gets paid when other companies make lightning products.

But they get paid quite a lot more when people pay thousands of dollars to buy their hardware.

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

#360

Post by mmastrac »

andrewla wrote: post #201
horsawlarway wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This always gets bought up, and it's always wrong. > 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. They didn't write the law as "you must use USB-C" They wrote the law as "The industry experts need to pick A standard for charging, and all manufacturers should respect that choice" They are welcome to change it…

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…

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_...

"Any technological developments in wired charging can be reflected in a timely adjustment of technical requirements/ specific standards under the Radio Equipment Directive. This would ensure that the technology used is not outdated."

"At the same time, the implementation of any new standards in further revisions of Radio Equipment Directive would need to be developed in a harmonised manner, respecting the objectives of full interoperability. Industry is therefore expected to continue the work already undertaken on the standardised interface, led by the USB-IF organisation, in view of developing new interoperable, open and non-controversial solutions."

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