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

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

#991

Post by filoleg »

pfortuny wrote: post #933
filoleg wrote: post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a nice fantasy and all, but how did that whole "In Europe [...] companies must comply with the intent of the law" work out for GDPR? As far as I am aware, all the big tech companies that were used as the primary reason for creating GDPR are still doing the exact same things (that people were upset about) they were doing back then (just in a legally compliant™ way now according to "the intent of the law"). Not…

Well, ok. I specify: in hardware matters.

I mean, "in EU, law interpretation tends to follow the intent of the law when it comes to hardware, but it tends to follow the letter of the law when it comes to software" feels like an extremely strange and unrealistic statement. Both software and hardware are tightly related areas (i.e., tech), and I cannot imagine why the baseline of the law interpretation would be radically opposite.

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

#992

Post by AlchemistCamp »

tremon wrote: post #984
AlchemistCamp wrote: post #972

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How is it mostly protectionism? Seriously? The clear leader for a decade has been Tesla, which is based in the US. Chademo also has a lot of traction and is dominant in Japan and parts of east Asia. CCS is popular in Europe (along with Tesla). The EU mandated that all must use CCS, which has never been dominant in terms of technology or market share. It's blatant protectionism.

Are you saying that there already was a large, established CCS production base in Europe at the time the standard was introduced? Otherwise, what were they protecting?

They were protecting their comparatively technologically uninspired local companies from Tesla, which was on course to dominating the market.

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

#993

Post by freemint »

gwbas1c wrote: post #979
orangecat wrote: post #884

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more like legislators observing that Betamax is failing and deciding that it's in everyone's best interests to tell Sony that they have to adopt VHS instead of creating confusion in the marketplace. Or like 1996 when Apple was failing and everyone should have been forced to standardize on Windows.

Windows is not a standard that someone can build an independent implementation and run the same applications.

React OS dares to disagree

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

#994

Post by dzhiurgis »

detuur wrote: post #807
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 only ever managed to coast by because of its slim form-factor and because Apple mandated its use. It's capable of USB2.0 at most (480Mbps), whereas USB-C can do 20Gbps today and 40Gbps when using Thunderbolt. MagSafe on phones is a total joke, and MagSafe on laptops exists _alongside_ USB-C charging.

MagSafe (aka wireless one) is okay(tho half the speed) if you ain’t got carplay.

For mac magsafe used to break every year where braided usb-c cable lasted me 3 years.

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

#995

Post by dzhiurgis »

paulmd wrote: post #946
detuur wrote: post #807

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lightning only ever managed to coast by because of its slim form-factor and because Apple mandated its use. It's capable of USB2.0 at most (480Mbps), whereas USB-C can do 20Gbps today and 40Gbps when using Thunderbolt. MagSafe on phones is a total joke, and MagSafe on laptops exists _alongside_ USB-C charging.

> It's capable of USB2.0 at most (480Mbps), the lightning connector itself is capable of USB 3.0 speeds, apple just keeps the iphone line (or the cables?) at usb 2.0 spec. The ipad pro can reach full speed. https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Lightning_to_USB_3_Camera_Adap...

I don’t get how they justify those speeds, especially without good wireless experience (not icloud and not airdrop)

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

#996

Post by dzhiurgis »

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.

NZ plugs are small and don’t fall out. Best part is you can convert US plugs to NZ with a pair of pliers.

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

#997

Post by dzhiurgis »

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.)

Make sure you buy braided cable, perhaps 10ft long and it will last you years.

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

#998

Post by SergeAx »

paulmd wrote: post #771
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…

> I don't see why "What about innovation?" is taken seriously as an argument anyway. because the USB-IF historically has struggled to reach enough consensus from its stakeholders to allow innovation to take place. The entire reason that lightning exists in the first place is because USB-IF couldn't agree on a replacement for micro-B (which everyone agreed clearly needed improvement!) and one of the members just had t…

The entire reason for Lightning exists is increasing Apple revenues from selling cables and licences to OEMs.

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

#999

Post by dhzhzjsbevs »

ubermonkey wrote: post #936
dhzhzjsbevs wrote: post #864

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I said monopolistic not monopoly. To say apple is a monopoly would be incorrect. To describe their behavior with service, repair, the app store, and lightening cable fees as anything other than monopolistic would be intellectually dishonest.

LOL. That's only the case if you don't care about the definition of "monopolistic."

Are you stupid or just an idiot. Read the definition again.

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

#1000

Post by Bud »

dhzhzjsbevs wrote: post #140
ubermonkey wrote: post #130

It's just really not clear to me that regulators need to be mandating product design. 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. Twenty years ago, we really DID have a snarl of competing and proprietary phone ports. It was a mess -- Blackberry chargers didn't work with Palm; most WinMo devices had their own…

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.

The debate over Lightning, of course, has nothing to do with repairability. As an aside, you might want to take a few minutes to look up what "monopolistic" means.
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