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EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

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Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#171

Post by counttheforks »

gizmo wrote: post #143
counttheforks wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because apple refuses to play ball otherwise. Capitalism has failed and is now producing tonnes of unnecessary e-waste.

A 4 year old iPhone still works perfectly, but a $200 Android will find its way to a landfill way sooner. As a rule of thumb, appliances that last are better for the environment than cheap products. Apple is good at make devices that last. Nowadays all laptops can charge over usb-c (including Apple laptops, mind you!). Did anybody have to force Apple to do this? No, because charging technology improved so much that w…

> A 4 year old iPhone still works perfectly, but a $200 Android will find its way to a landfill way sooner

Not really, though. I'm using one and it's just fine. Nonsense aside...

> Nowadays all laptops can charge over usb-c (including Apple laptops, mind you!). Did anybody have to force Apple to do this? No

Yes. That's what the EU has been doing by talking about forcing the standardization. Dollars to donuts that apple would still be on their proprietary connector if not for that.

> this EU mandate is totally unnecessary

Disagree. Just look at the iPhones apple is still manufacturing, which they'll now be forced to change.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#172

Post by b3orn »

kypro wrote: post #111
jld89 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A LOT of less waste maybe ? It is very inconvenient and a hassle to have 5 different cables for 5 different devices. It is a waste of space, materials... The economic gains by volume continent wide should not be underestimated.

Less waste after iPhone users all have to throw away their cables and buy new ones, presumably?

They'd have to throw away their phones first for the cables to become useless, I'd say the phones are the larger e-waste problem.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#173

Post by wincy »

thefz wrote: post #140
pain2022 wrote: post #127

Forced usb-c charger for laptops is concerning. 1) it is additional attack vector, what if maid in my hotel enhanced my charging brick with rubber ducky? 2) mag safe is very convenient

Why? I use the same Baseus 65-W power brick for two phones and two laptops very, very conveniently. And GAN chargers are a third of the size of traditional power bricks. Also, who cares about magsafe? Only Apple laptops have it. I think the move to USB-C is a smart one, it can even reach 100W. Speeds are insane too.

Gaming laptops draw over 100W. Won’t this eliminate an entire market of laptops that require specialized plugs that can deliver more power? Or else you’ll end up with the dreaded “dies while it’s plugged in” situation.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#174

Post by danhor »

lloydatkinson wrote: post #27
NextHendrix wrote: post #7

This gives me some cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, having a common connector will reduce waste and be much more convenient (eg "Hey have you got an iPhone charger?") and make losing a charger a cheaper mistake. On the other hand I'm not sure I like the idea of government mandating electrical connectors on devices, which could stifle innovation, or be very shortsighted in the typical government-rules-on-tech wa…

It will end up with the terrible quality fake usb cables and chargers we have today, thanks for the usb organisation not being stricter. Seems hard to find specific types of USB 3/C cables. In some cases they have damaged the connected devices which should be considered a failure of the U part. If anything this will increase the value of official apple chargers because at least those will be well designed.

Even if you're buying from Amazon or AliExpress, there have been very few cases over the last few years of them damaging your device compared to the first years of USB-C.

They might still have other issues, but nothing that damages your device.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#176

Post by galangalalgol »

beardyw wrote: post #66
insickness wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question of whether standards are beneficial and whether the government should mandate standards are two completely separate questions.

Well only governments can mandate standards, and if they don't it's just wishful thinking isn't it?

There are plenty of non governmental standards. Some like openGL or http are driven by industry consortiums. Others like keurig/Nespresso generic pods, x86 chips, or cup holder sizes are driven by compatibility with wildly successful products.

Edit: usb-c is both the former and the latter. Macbooks and ipads had already switched, it seems likely the next iphone would have been usb-c anyway, or perhaps portless.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#177

Post by riffraff »

gizmo wrote: post #143
counttheforks wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because apple refuses to play ball otherwise. Capitalism has failed and is now producing tonnes of unnecessary e-waste.

A 4 year old iPhone still works perfectly, but a $200 Android will find its way to a landfill way sooner. As a rule of thumb, appliances that last are better for the environment than cheap products. Apple is good at make devices that last. Nowadays all laptops can charge over usb-c (including Apple laptops, mind you!). Did anybody have to force Apple to do this? No, because charging technology improved so much that w…

> We're in the final stretch of a 20 year trend towards universal chargers, and this EU mandate is totally unnecessary.

Did you forget it was the EU that asked phone producers to standardize (on USB-micro)?

We'd still have one charger per producer without that, since there was no critical mass to adopt one connector or the other.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#178

Post by throw827474737 »

capableweb wrote: post #91
roenxi wrote: post #75

This legislation would have been stupid at any other time in the history of hardware. It will prove to be stupid now as well. There is no reason to think the USB-C is the peak of technical achievement or even consistently a local optimum design choice. The EU has enough problems right now, they don't need to try and help Apple design iPhones.

Is there something in this regulation that says it can never be changed to something else in the future? Why do you assume USB-C will remain the standard for all future? Seems likely if something else pops up in 2030 that is way better, there is nothing to suggest a new regulation couldn't be made.

Come on, you are clever, I believe you can figure out the answer yourself, if you didn't already...

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#179

Post by nucatus »

Fiahil wrote: post #129

Fast-Forward to Autumn 2023 or Spring 2024 : Tim Cook: (40:20) Now let’s talk about iPhone. iPhone has forever changed the world. Every single day people rely on iPhone, from their most demanding tasks to capturing the moments of their lives, streaming their favorite TV shows, playing their favorite games, staying up to date with the news of the world and connecting with friends and loved ones. Tim Cook: (40:42) This…

Say no more. You're hired.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#180

Post by Eddy_Viscosity2 »

kypro wrote: post #87
Eddy_Viscosity2 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electronics companies decide what's best for them. Competition in the smart phone market is done, so consumers no longer have a say. These kinds of interoperability standards are great and would love to see more of them internationally.

Consumers still don't have a say. Now instead of companies choosing what hardware & features are best for their product, and you then choosing products based on your preferences, EU regulators are now forcing companies (and therefore you) to use whatever they think is best. I think in the case of USB-C it's not too bad just because USB-C is widely agreed to be a good connector that's already widely adopted, but there…

The idea this somehow limits consumer choice is nonsense. It opens up choice because now I don't have to pay insane markups for proprietary items.

Printer ink, razor blades, and so on are other examples besides connector cables where companies' `innovations' tend to make things worse for the consumer. Even if the new cable is technically slightly better, the other factors of price, availability, and lack of inter-operability ultimately make things worse for the consumer.

Also, you'd likely have more luck getting elected officials to change EU policies than you would have with mega company board members changing profit-maximizing strategies.

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