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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

#951

Post by wbsss4412 »

Creating standards is a fundamental part of what governments do, and have done forever.

We take for granted things like common definitions for weights and measures, imagine if “the market” could just decide it didn’t want to use the metric system anymore and invented whatever system it felt like to weigh things.

Innovation has its place, but some things just need to be reliable and well understood so we can move on in our lives and focus on building on top of what’s already established.

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

#952

Post by llaolleh »

tomp wrote: post #751
robonerd wrote: post #637

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why "What about innovation?" is taken seriously as an argument anyway. USB-C is more than adequate, we could coast with it for the next hundred years. Nobody is kept up at night by the lack of innovation in AC power plugs, the standards countries have settled on today, while not all equivalent, are all generally satisfactory in practice. Problem solved; stop fixing that which ain't broke and move on to ot…

This argument would sound less hollow if there weren’t two existing superior (from a user experience perspective) alternatives already on the market. Apple’s Lightning (thinner than USB-C) and MagSafe (safer than USB-C for charging laptops… so glad Apple is transitioning back to it for M2 Airs)

They can make both. One for the standard and the other for their own. Or engineer their new port and ship an adapter/extra cable.

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

#953

Post by [deleted] »

kanetw wrote: post #937
Dylan16807 wrote: post #894

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need a chip in the power supply for that, but you already have a chip in the power supply because switching supplies are massively cheaper. You don't need a marker chip in the cable unless you intend to go over 20V/3A.

I'm just talking about end devices here (source/sink).

[deleted]

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

#954

Post by cypress66 »

thomasahle wrote: post #852
nonethewiser wrote: post #759

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The regulation actually says that cables can no longer be bundled with the devices themselves, Wait, what? That's idiotic

Idiotic? It's a pretty smart and simple way to incentivice manufacturers to ship devices that work with standard USB-C cables. It may be annoying if you don't already own a bunch of USB-C cables. But who doesn't?

But now you have people complaining that their device doesn't work, charges slowly, transfers slowly because they are using a crappy cable they got from Amazon. Especially for devices that require quite high end cables.

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

#955

Post by throwaway92394 »

_ea1k wrote: post #389
throwaway92394 wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

I really like what USB-C has done for peripherals and non-iphone devices, but I agree with you. I'd be fine with a new USB-D that fixed all these issues. USB-C is just mostly better than the other alternatives for Android and charging laptops. Its far from perfect.

Don't get me wrong I do too. I'd prefer it if everything just used USB C.

I just wanted to point out that it's not universally superior to micro USB or lightning, and there are places it could be improved.

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

#956

Post by Lio »

solarkraft wrote: post #657
robonerd wrote: post #637

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why "What about innovation?" is taken seriously as an argument anyway. USB-C is more than adequate, we could coast with it for the next hundred years. Nobody is kept up at night by the lack of innovation in AC power plugs, the standards countries have settled on today, while not all equivalent, are all generally satisfactory in practice. Problem solved; stop fixing that which ain't broke and move on to ot…

> Nobody is kept up at night by the lack of innovation in AC power plugs Mandatory Tom Scott video about bri'ish power plugs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q :-)

"The live is brown because that's the colour your trousers will go if you touch it."

Wonderful! :D

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

#957

Post by Lio »

Zak wrote: post #867
solarkraft wrote: post #657

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody is kept up at night by the lack of innovation in AC power plugs Mandatory Tom Scott video about bri'ish power plugs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q :-)

I like US plugs. Sure, it's easier to shock yourself with them, but you usually only do that once (because it feels bad, not because it's often fatal). I like them because they're small . I have a nifty little 3-port USB-A/C power supply where the plug folds flush. Europlug would have trouble doing that, and it's outright impossible with Schuko and UK plugs.

I have a nifty little 3-port USB-A/C power supply where the plug folds flush. ...

and it's outright impossible with Schuko and UK plugs

You mean exactly like this folding UK adapter from Apple? :P

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MGMY3B/A/apple-5w-usb-...

Other folding UK plug brands are available. /bbc_announcer_voice

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

#958

Post by rnk »

robonerd wrote: post #637
bloppe wrote: post #485

A lot of people saying "USB-C cables aren't even compatible with each other!" (Nintendo switch etc.) Guess what: that's exactly the problem this regulation is intended to solve. Fake USB-C cables like Nintendo's that have the right shape but do not adhere to spec should gradually disappear along with lightning cables. The regulation actually says that cables can no longer be bundled with the devices themselves, so Ni…

I don't see why "What about innovation?" is taken seriously as an argument anyway. USB-C is more than adequate, we could coast with it for the next hundred years. Nobody is kept up at night by the lack of innovation in AC power plugs, the standards countries have settled on today, while not all equivalent, are all generally satisfactory in practice. Problem solved; stop fixing that which ain't broke and move on to ot…

The innovation was primarily financial innovation in taking money unnecessarily from your customers, except for a very few cases. Lightning was a good cable in the early days, but but then became a financial windfall for apple of course.

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

#959

Post by kyriakos »

tleilaxu wrote: post #827
solarkraft wrote: post #657

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody is kept up at night by the lack of innovation in AC power plugs Mandatory Tom Scott video about bri'ish power plugs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q :-)

British plugs are the only thing I will ever get nationalistic about. They’re great. Hurt like a sod to stand on if the prongs are face up though!

Being in an ex British colony it's one of the good things left to us from that time but unfortunately it means we need adaptors wherever we travel.

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

#960

Post by stouset »

thaway2839 wrote: post #764
tomp wrote: post #751

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This argument would sound less hollow if there weren’t two existing superior (from a user experience perspective) alternatives already on the market. Apple’s Lightning (thinner than USB-C) and MagSafe (safer than USB-C for charging laptops… so glad Apple is transitioning back to it for M2 Airs)

Lightning cables don't last. They are a complete disaster. And that's not even considering how a little bit of dust can prevent your device from charging at all, and lightning ports are a complete dust magnet. But the best argument against "what about lightning?" is the fact that Apple themselves don't use it on their higher powered devices like macs, and use USB-C instead.

> Lightning cables don't last.

This has absolutely zero to do with the plug design of Lightning. There are crap cables for USB-A, USB-C, USB Micro, 3.5" audio, and any other standard you want to find that don't last.

> And that's not even considering how a little bit of dust can prevent your device from charging at all, and lightning ports are a complete dust magnet.

By what magic do you believe that lightning ports collect pocket lint that USB-C is immune to?

> But the best argument against "what about lightning?" is the fact that Apple themselves don't use it on their higher powered devices like macs, and use USB-C instead.

Nobody is making this point. They're saying the sheer existence of the Lightning plug lit a fire under the USB-IF to finish and greenlight USB-C. If Apple hadn't started producing Lightning devices, it's entirely possible we'd still be dealing with USB Micro.

That said, I'll happily die on the hill that the Lightning plug design is almost unilaterally superior to the USB-C plug design.

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