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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

#491

Post by schmuelio »

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…

> EU regulators are now forcing companies (and therefore you) to use whatever they think is best.

All those shady un-elected EU regulators...

Oh wait, which ones do you not elect again? Was it government officials or company managers?

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

#492

Post by mschuster91 »

nolok wrote: post #480
Fradow wrote: post #473

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying there was no mandate is only technically true. The EU gave an ultimatum to phone companies to make a compatible charger "or else", which led to a "Memorandum of Understanding" [1] deciding on Micro-USB. Apple didn't follow that Memorandum, the EU got pissed, so now we reached the "or else" part (it took quite some time considering the Memorandum was more than 10 years ago). [1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/…

> Apple didn't follow that Memorandum, the EU got pissed Just to add a step: Samsung got pissed, and told the EU either regulate, or we do our own thing too like Apple.

Samsung actually had done their own thing - their early tablet lineup also had a 30-pin connector, and of course incompatible with Apple's 30-pin connector.

[1] https://www.amazon.de/Original-Samsung-USB-lDatenkabel-ECC1D...

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

#493

Post by manuelabeledo »

burlesona wrote: post #358
manuelabeledo wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is part of the USB-IF. They also have pushed USB standards to consumers since the iMac. Hell, Apple participates of every single industrial forum they can benefit from. Apple has moved on to USB-C for almost every other product they have. They know Lightning is old and insufficient, even for their iPad Air. The only reason why Apple keeps Lightning around is for phones and some portable accessories, and the rev…

This is not the reason. The reason is, the last time they changed ports (from 30pin to lightning) it created huge blowback from consumers who had lots of 30pin accessories that were no longer compatible, and even though lightning is FAR better people don’t like switching. USB-C is not much different than lightning for charging / connecting a phone, so the blowback from consumers will be huge when all their accessorie…

> USB-C is not much different than lightning for charging / connecting a phone...

As far as I understand, there are no Lightning cables that support anything over 18W. Data transfer tops at 480Mbps, or roughly USB 2.0 speeds.

These are specs many other companies have surpassed several years ago.

> ... so the blowback from consumers will be huge when all their accessories are no longer compatible with the next phone.

Apple is the same company that went through 4 different charging connectors for their MacBook line, in about 15 years: MagSafe, MagSafe 2, USB-C, and now MagSafe 3. Their iPad line is 12 years old and has gone through 3 different connectors: 30-pin, Lightning, and USB-C.

I fail to see how this one would be different.

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

#494

Post by nkingsy »

coffeeblack wrote: post #240
emaro wrote: post #218

I agree with the overall tone in the comments here: yay in general, but what a shame a law needs to specify a specific port for ~iPhones~ devices. I really like USB-C. It's sooo convenient to charge my notebook, my headphones, my phone, my everything with the same cable. However what bothers me since someone pointed it out to me: for phones, which are used all day in all kind of situations, lightning has a big andvan…

Very much agree. The port design of lightning is superior, too bad that now a law mandates Apple to sell the inferior solution. But that’s what you get when laws eliminate competition.

I’ve bought and worn out SO many lightning cables.

Never before have I dealt with such a poor connector. All my usb c is working fine. All my lightning cables work about half the time, need to be jostled. I know if I buy all new ones AGAIN it will sort out the problem.

I don’t understand this take and replies.

Also, lightning doesn’t power external devices. Love that I can run a midi keyboard off my new iPad. The same on my iPhone requires a powered usb hub.

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

#495

Post by kalleboo »

jcelerier wrote: post #484
MichaelZuo wrote: post #439

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were no mandates to adopt micro-usb in the EU. As a sidetone it's astonishing how quickly a lie easily disprovable by publicly accessible information, in this case the EU's own website, can be spread around by people that otherwise seem like credible HN members.

> There were no mandates to adopt micro-usb in the EU. ... huh ? https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_... > Following a mandate from the European Commission, the European Standardisation Bodies CEN-CENELEC and ETSI issued the harmonised standards to be adhered to by data-enabled mobile phones compatible with the new common charger as of 2011. The common charger solution is based in the Micro-US…

They mandated the standards bodies to issue standards to adopt for those who wanted to, but didn't mandate manufacturers to adopt the standards.

Or they would have spent the past 10 years fining Apple for violating them.

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

#496

Post by hotpotamus »

CubsFan1060 wrote: post #357
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.

I will basically immediately throw away about a dozen cables and need to buy new ones. I'm unclear on how I'm gaining in this.

You've somehow avoided USB-C cables? That's confusing to me since I have an iPhone and other Apple devices. My phone uses lighting but my Beats earbuds, My Macbook Pro, and my iPad pro use USB-C for charging. Plus plenty of other non-Apple devices.

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

#497

Post by meibo »

Bud wrote: post #284
meibo wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will definitely switch to iPhone as soon as they come with USB-C. It feels like they're just not doing it out of spite - I already have 20 USB-C chargers and power banks for all of my hardware. If you've been in the Apple ecosystem for years, no, it probably won't matter to you and will probably annoy you more than what it's worth because you now need separate cables to charge your mouse and your phone.

Out of spite? What about it feeling out of spite to make this change for the tens of millions of users who have one or two or four sets of AirPods, and several wireless Apple keyboards and mice and trackpads, and various other gear, all of which uses Lightning? Some people need to remember that it's not all about them. And your USB-C chargers and power banks were and are perfectly capable of charging Lightning device…

How are my USB-C chargers capable of charging lightning devices if they are USB-C? Can I buy a dongle for $90?

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

#498

Post by moffkalast »

schmuelio wrote: post #448
moffkalast wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly yeah, the standardisation part is fantastic but I absolutely hate that the industry at large settled on USB-C ports that are so pathetically easy to break it's hilarious. Micro-USB and Mini-USB were both far more robust. And also the part where there are a billion specs for the same cable so you never know what you're dealing with. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the bluetooth team came up with the standa…

> Micro-USB and Mini-USB were both far more robust. Micro-USB and USB-C both have the same minimum durability ratings, you may just be buying non-compliant cables (or you're encountering selection bias or something): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#Durability

Could be that I'm somehow an outlier, I suppose time will tell since they'll be around for a while and in literally everything.

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

#500

Post by dtech »

kwhitefoot wrote: post #333
clouddrover wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> On the other hand I'm not sure I like the idea of government mandating electrical connectors on devices Depends on the device. Standards for EV fast charging are a very good thing. North America has two different plugs and protocols for DC fast charging (three if you count CHAdeMO) and it's a mess. The EU has standardized on CCS Type 2 Combo so any brand of CCS charging car can charge on any brand of CCS charging n…

> Closed networks like Tesla's and Rivian's are continuing to be part of the problem. All new Tesla stations in Europe use CCS and most of the older stations have been retrofitted with CCS connectors in addition to Type 2. I have an adaptor for my 2017 Model S that allows it to use CCS instead of Type 2 and newer cars can be converted so that CCS connectors can be used without adaptors. All new EVs in Europe already…

Relevant to this discussion: Tesla only uses CCS in EU because it was mandated by law, just like USB-C now will be.
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