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

#851

Post by IsNotNull » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

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.

Apple disagree. They moved away from Lightning on iPads and Macbooks already.

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

#852

Post by CogitoCogito » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:23 PM UTC

s1artibartfast wrote: post #752

funklute wrote: post #651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A political organization like EU has no say in this. This is the short-sighted view. The unguided free market very often makes "decisions" that are detrimental to society as a whole, and it is absolutely necessary for political organisations to correct for this.

Society and legislators should only forbid harmful action. Not doing something helpful is very different than doing something hurtful. Compelling helpful action leads to all kinds of absurd conclusions. For example, that we should we compel doctors to work more hours because anytime they spend at home is to the detriment of their patients.

It seems to me like the EU considers companies making their own proprietary phone charger connectors as “harmful”. So I’m having trouble understanding what you take issue with here.

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

#853

Post by IsNotNull » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:23 PM UTC

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?

Not if you already have an Apple iPad or an Apple MacBook that's already USB-C.

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

#854

Post by cm2187 » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:26 PM UTC

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…

tbh it's kind of ridiculous that I need a different dongle for my ipad and my iphone. I know that Apples makes money selling dongles, but that's a crap UX.

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

#855

Post by IsNotNull » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:30 PM UTC

plandis wrote: post #526

Why is it so hard for Europeans to not buy an iPhone if they don’t like the charger type? This will slow any innovation in charging cables until enough powerful companies need something new. Small innovators are SOL since they won’t have the influence to get the EU to allow it.

This will allow me to use my Apple iPad charger or my Apple MacBook charger to charge my Apple iPhone. Not being able to do that currently is not innovative, it's annoying.

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

#856

Post by assetlabel » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:30 PM UTC

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…

Technology is still changing fairly rapidly. Regulation is not.

There will come a time when flashy new tech that everyone is drooling over will not be available in the EU due to this law.

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

#857

Post by phendrenad2 » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:30 PM UTC

USB-C is inferior to lightning in every way, except for compatibility (which very few people care about) and the environmental impact (which is tiny).

The EU really fucked this up bad.

Luckily, I suspect that Apple will continue selling their highest-end phones with the superior lightning connector as an option.

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

#858

Post by cal85 » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:30 PM UTC

permo-w wrote: post #766

_trackno5 wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you actually have data on that though? I see that kind of argument get thrown around but it is never substantiated. How will usbc lead to less waste? If you wanna make that argument, wouldn’t it be better to force companies to opt you out of getting chargers and cables unless you explicitly ask for them when you make the purchase?

less cables needed = less waste

Yes but do cables contribute a significant amount of waste in general, worthy of being specifically regulated? I actually don’t know either way, so it would be nice to see some data.

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

#859

Post by henvic » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:30 PM UTC

franczesko wrote: post #849

codexb wrote: post #706

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nothing wise or moral about this decision. Mandating a technology standard, purely for personal preference and convenience reasons -- not for reasons related to safety, or pollution, or security -- especially for things that change as fast as phones, is one of the most short-sighted and naive things any government could do. There's a long history of Apple using proprietary connectors to achieve performance sp…

EU is doing pretty much what Apple does all the time - forcing standards.

Apple gives you the option to adopt or not. EU thugs, not.

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

#860

Post by mmastrac » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 7:31 PM UTC

Daniel_sk wrote: post #842

Jtsummers wrote: post #713

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's a long history of Apple using proprietary connectors to achieve performance specifications above what the currently available standardized connectors could provide. Lightning was good when it came out (compared to the various micro-USB options), but it's not held up. Even Apple knows this and they've moved away from it on their iPads.

In the same regard it will be now hard to move from USB-C to something better due to regulation.

As others in this thread have mentioned, the "unofficial" regulation that drove most non-apple phones to micro-USB, and then to USB-C did not prevent progress.

The laws are not going to mandate USB-C of a certain revision, etc. The laws simply mandate cooperation in a market that has been mostly cooperative, save for a single participant.