EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024 • Hacker News Board

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

#641

Post by Fiahil » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:05 PM UTC

blue_light_man wrote: post #607

TheYumasi wrote: post #555

As an EU citizen, I am really happy with this decision. I am an iPhone user, but having an iPhone is not ubiquitous here, almost all of my friends/special other, use an Android phone with USB-C. Most of their laptops, Mac or not, use or allow USB-C for charging. This as been the case for a few years now, yet, if I go somewhere for more than a full day and forget my lighting cable, my phone will become a useless paper…

This is such a short sighted view. What just happened is, EU, a political organization enforcing the use of a technology on a company which operates on free market. It's Apples best interest to make technology that the consumers want so that they can sell more units of that. A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU citizens already make this decision for themselves by voting with money and choosing to…

> by voting with money

"voting with money" or "voting with your wallet" is a complete non-sense. There is no -absolutely no- way for anyone in the industry to attribute a lost sale to a "missing" feature.

I think this also a symptoms on how Americans view the world through means of consumption. Everything HAS TO be consumed one way or another.

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

#642

Post by zamalek » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:05 PM UTC

doikor wrote: post #609

blue_light_man wrote: post #607

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is such a short sighted view. What just happened is, EU, a political organization enforcing the use of a technology on a company which operates on free market. It's Apples best interest to make technology that the consumers want so that they can sell more units of that. A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU citizens already make this decision for themselves by voting with money and choosing to…

> A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU and most people living within it would disagree with this statement.

Exactly, which means the political system is doing its job. Politics was invented to most efficiently express the desires of the people. If the people want more political control, then it is the job of politics to do so. If they don't, then politics should avoid it.

The only reason this is muddled in America is because the people don't agree on to what degree the politics should control things.

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

#643

Post by manuelmoreale » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:06 PM UTC

blue_light_man wrote: post #610

doikor wrote: post #609

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU and most people living within it would disagree with this statement.

Quoted post unavailable.

What does it mean to ”lag behind” when it comes to technology at a country/continental level?

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

#644

Post by blue_light_man » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:06 PM UTC

So looks like EU knows USB-C is the best port for the citizens. Following the logic, EU should also know what the best charger, screen, CPU, GPU, drivers etc for the phone is since EU is represented by the people.

Clearly, there should be also no reason why EU should not know what is the best way to source these items and manufacture it as well since EU is represented by the people.

So why stop at the USB-C regulation?

Why can't EU manufacturer the phone as well? How do I sign a petition for this?

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

#645

Post by poulpy123 » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:06 PM UTC

blue_light_man wrote: post #610

doikor wrote: post #609

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU and most people living within it would disagree with this statement.

Quoted post unavailable.

No post body was provided.

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

#646

Post by joenot443 » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:07 PM UTC

blue_light_man wrote: post #607

TheYumasi wrote: post #555

As an EU citizen, I am really happy with this decision. I am an iPhone user, but having an iPhone is not ubiquitous here, almost all of my friends/special other, use an Android phone with USB-C. Most of their laptops, Mac or not, use or allow USB-C for charging. This as been the case for a few years now, yet, if I go somewhere for more than a full day and forget my lighting cable, my phone will become a useless paper…

This is such a short sighted view. What just happened is, EU, a political organization enforcing the use of a technology on a company which operates on free market. It's Apples best interest to make technology that the consumers want so that they can sell more units of that. A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU citizens already make this decision for themselves by voting with money and choosing to…

Political organizations like the FCC already control parts of what an iPhone is and isn't allowed to do. Apple's never been in a position where they can offer exactly what the consumer wants without any political regulation, they've always had to follow some rules.

I don't think this will go down as an important or sector-changing decision. I remember hearing the same thing online about the 2009 common external power supply law and if anything it feels like the consumer is better off.

As others have said much more eloquently than I could, the answer for a happy market probably isn't total unregulated capitalism _or_ full government control, but likely somewhere in the middle. I've been an iPhone user since the 3GS and I'm pleased with this decision.

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

#647

Post by dahfizz » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:08 PM UTC

Fradow wrote: post #473

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.

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/…

Curious that the "or else" stage doesn't actually enforce the micro-B connector of the original MoU.

If that original legislation was binding, we likely never would have gotten USB-C in the first place.

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

#648

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:09 PM UTC

blue_light_man wrote: post #607

TheYumasi wrote: post #555

As an EU citizen, I am really happy with this decision. I am an iPhone user, but having an iPhone is not ubiquitous here, almost all of my friends/special other, use an Android phone with USB-C. Most of their laptops, Mac or not, use or allow USB-C for charging. This as been the case for a few years now, yet, if I go somewhere for more than a full day and forget my lighting cable, my phone will become a useless paper…

This is such a short sighted view. What just happened is, EU, a political organization enforcing the use of a technology on a company which operates on free market. It's Apples best interest to make technology that the consumers want so that they can sell more units of that. A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU citizens already make this decision for themselves by voting with money and choosing to…

[deleted]

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

#649

Post by muro » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:09 PM UTC

kmlx wrote: post #637

doikor wrote: post #609

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU and most people living within it would disagree with this statement.

> and most people living within it without a referendum on such issues these kinds of statements are moot. i'm also an EU citizen and this thing (along with many other EU decisions) are in the same dystopian vein as the covid fiasco in europe.

It's not that different than saying what the power plug need to look like.

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

#650

Post by sbf501 » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 4:10 PM UTC

blue_light_man wrote: post #607

TheYumasi wrote: post #555

As an EU citizen, I am really happy with this decision. I am an iPhone user, but having an iPhone is not ubiquitous here, almost all of my friends/special other, use an Android phone with USB-C. Most of their laptops, Mac or not, use or allow USB-C for charging. This as been the case for a few years now, yet, if I go somewhere for more than a full day and forget my lighting cable, my phone will become a useless paper…

This is such a short sighted view. What just happened is, EU, a political organization enforcing the use of a technology on a company which operates on free market. It's Apples best interest to make technology that the consumers want so that they can sell more units of that. A political organization like EU has no say in this. EU citizens already make this decision for themselves by voting with money and choosing to…

> on a company which operates on free market.

You probably shouldn't have based your argument on this statement, which is generally regarded as a myth. It is a myth in the sense that Apple exists in a free market: it is a near monopoly but is savvy enough not to wade into the area other companies did in the 90's and were penalized.

Second, governments have the right to enforce environmental protection acts to protect the health and safety of its people. Technology companies are subject to this from day one at many levels (e.g., fabs have limits on how much toxic waste they can pump into the air).

The EU is leading the way for cracking down on trillion-dollar companies who choose to treat you as a product rather than a person. I hope the rest of the world follows.