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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

#701

Post by zaik »

ciupicri wrote: post #686
nocoolnametom wrote: post #633

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In order to talk to my friends, family, and coworkers I need to have the following apps installed and running: Slack, Teams, Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, Google Chat/Hangouts/Allo/Whatever, FB Messenger, Discord, Twitter, etc. It'd take a pretty strong argument to convince me that this is so much more productive and allows for more innovation than the old days when the spec for things like Email, HTTP, IRC, XMPP allow…

I'm willing to bet that your friends and family wouldn't be happy if the European Union would mandate using IRC everywhere. Heck, why not go further and stick to the good old ntalk [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_(software)

What about the XMPP standard? I use it everyday for messaging family and friends.

WhatsApp is basically an unfederated XMPP provider.

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

#702

Post by phkahler »

enkid wrote: post #677
ZekeSulastin wrote: post #586

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The regulation actually says that cables can no longer be bundled with the devices themselves” I don’t think anyone’s mentioned that. Oh my god, tech social media is going to melt down when that kicks in if the reaction to chargers being excluded is any indication (not to mention a repeat of the shift from 30-pin to Lightning in Apple’s case, except now without a cable).

If it comes with being able to buy a $5 cable to act as a charge, I don't see how people could complain. (But I know they will.)

>> If it comes with being able to buy a $5 cable to act as a charge, I don't see how people could complain.

Even better, just use the old cable from your old device since they won't be designing a new one every other year.

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

#703

Post by dreamcompiler »

samatman wrote: post #211
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? 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…

I's absolutely true that Tesla's EV connector is better than CCS, and it's a pity that Tesla lost that battle.

But it's also true that USB-C with PD is better than the alternatives in its space so occasionally the committees get things right.

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

#704

Post by spockz »

Larrikin wrote: post #567
baq wrote: post #556

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cables though… they used to be a joke. I’ve wrapped mine with electrical tape near ends so they last longer.

I think at some point they changed the material. I had never had a single cord fray on me except every single Apple supplied white cord for years, until suddenly I no longer had that problem. Don't know what changed but glad it did

Interesting. The only lighting cable that has failed me so far is the usbC to lightning cable that came with my 13 Pro. All other cables are still in use. Including some cheap ones that get abused being jostled in my backpack.

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

#705

Post by IndrekR »

amluto wrote: post #290
bin_bash wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a lot smaller, locks into the car while charging, and doesn’t have an extra flap you have to open when using DC fast charging.

The locking feature is misguided. There should absolutely be a mechanical interlock to prevent unplugging under load. But no key should be required to unplug a home charger, and no key should be needed to plug in a charger once the charge port is open. As I see it, the only security goals should be: 1. At a public charger, one should have to authenticate to _either_ the car or the charger to interrupt an active charg…

And this is exactly how the charging in EU works.

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

#706

Post by lrem »

ciupicri wrote: post #679
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…

Speaking of cars and standardization, I'm still waiting for the European Union to put the steering wheel on the left side of the car and while we're at it, make it mandatory to drive on the right side of the road.

Demographics seems to suggest that the prospect of unification is not unrealistic within our lifetimes.

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

#707

Post by krzyk »

kube-system wrote: post #296
aiisjustanif wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Funny, because all of North America uses the NEMA standard and the EU uses a bunch of different plugs.

No, EU uses a single plug, it is called "Type C" (no, not USB-C). What you might find in some poorer regions in EU is old plugs that were there pre-EU, or prestandardization.

I can say that, because Brexit happened, I have no clue what those were thinking when designing their own gigantic plug.

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

#708

Post by saiya-jin »

cromka wrote: post #591
superb-owl wrote: post #589

I currently own several USB-C devices (Laptop, phone, Remarkable, Switch, portable monitor) and I can't tell you how nice it is to only have to bring a single charger with me when I travel. The biggest thing holding me back from getting an iPhone is breaking this pattern.

> The biggest thing holding me back from getting an iPhone is breaking this pattern. You wouldn't real this patter with an iPhone: you can still use the same charger, with Lightning USB-C cable. In fact, this is the official cable you get these days with new models.

Yeah but thats another item to worry about, carry around, constantly or you are royally screwed. Definitely a drawback for Apple in 2022 if you are like OP or me.

I was deciding between iphone 13 pro max and samsung s22 ultra few months back to have best possible camera that is always in the pocket. For somebody not in their ecosystem Apple connectors are a massive drawback and one of the reasons I decided against iphone.

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

#709

Post by ClumsyPilot »

ericd wrote: post #322
peoplefromibiza wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's not how innovation works Yes, exactly, this is how standardization works. Who cares about innovation in charging plugs form factor? Innovations should be innovative enough to get around the plug. Light bulbs have been the same for at least 80 years and it didn't stop innovation. Why do people are so scared about things that are only hypothetical, while this solves a real issue?

Light bulb sockets are actually a great example for the downsides of standardization, because they’re super suboptimal for LED bulbs, and are a large part of the reason for the transformers on many of the new bulbs burning out way before their rated lifetime. A better LED socket would provide better heatsinking/dissipation opportunities. But it was pretty good for many decades.

MR16 is a 12V DC standard so it does not need a transformer, in theory it's much better for LEDs, and yet we hardly ever see it used even in new builds.

Every time I rented a place with MR16, like 1/3 of all sockets in the ceiling were dead, the power supply was inside the false ceiling and it was not possible to fix without making a hole. Needless to say lardlord need much motivating to fix anything.

Also, it;s not illegal to install random non-standard bulbs -> my last apartmentblock was built with some special, great, proprietary and patented LED-spesific socket. Guess what happened? 15 years on, the lamps started failing, and the manufacturere dropped production of anything for that socket!

Now they need to replace like a thousands light fittings across the entire block, there is no way to get replacements. Some of them are in awkward places and will require a special vehicle to reach.

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

#710

Post by phkahler »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #703
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…

I's absolutely true that Tesla's EV connector is better than CCS, and it's a pity that Tesla lost that battle. But it's also true that USB-C with PD is better than the alternatives in its space so occasionally the committees get things right.

>> I's absolutely true that Tesla's EV connector is better than CCS, and it's a pity that Tesla lost that battle.

Currently working at a company that makes CCS chargers. Can confirm the standard is an absolute shit show, the cables are heavy, and the plugs are a giant pain in the ass. But hey, it's the standard so that's what we make. Oh, and why TF do we have a PowerLine Communication chip to talk to the vehicle over (non-power) signal wires? A few CAN messages would have done the job. One of the stupidest communication standards ever.

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