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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

#311

Post by logicalmonster »

jld89 wrote: post #71
_trackno5 wrote: post #49

Why do people think it is a good thing to have this enforced by law is beyond me. I don't see any win besides a minor convenience. A lightning cable weighs almost nothing and it's not a big deal to have one around. As to lightning port limitations, I question whether usb-c will give average iPhone users any other advantage other than charging their phone. What are people gonna do with it other than charge their phone…

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.

This law might have actually encouraged more waste than would have otherwise existed.

Cables (generally) don't go bad in a year or two and can last for quite a few years. Most long-term iPhone users probably have at least a few spare cables throughout their desk, house, car that they've bought over time that they'd now have no substitutes for and would need to replace.

You might have dictated a situation where people now have to throw away a pile of perfectly usable cables/accessories and buy a bunch of new ones. While well intentioned, this law might have otherwise achieved the opposite of what it set out to do.

PS: Whether this law exists or not, I'd have bet on Apple working to go fully wireless soon and this might just accelerate that effort.

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

#312

Post by mrunkel »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #170
Hamcha wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why do people think it is a good thing to have this enforced by law is beyond me. It's not, we're glad SOMEONE is forcing them to take this direction, but it's really sad (and potentially damaging) it had to come to this. > As to lightning port limitations, I question whether usb-c will give average iPhone users any other advantage other than charging their phone. What are people gonna do with it other than charge…

Is the USB2 speed a limitation of the Lightning connector, or is it that Apple just doesn't care to improve this? Because if it's the latter, as you say, there's no guarantee we'll see improved speeds because of the port change.

Apple wants to do away with all external connectors on that phone. My guess is that they won't have any ports once they get rid of the lightning connector.

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

#313

Post by necovek »

mdrzn wrote: post #33

LET'S GO EU! These headlines make me proud. Let's reach a global standard for charging stuff. I wish everything that had to be charged sometimes had a USB-C plug. But also I hope that the USB standard gets less messy in the future.

I am hoping for my next car to be chargeable through a USB-C port too! /s

I love the fact that there is a standardized port, and I can get devices of any type to charge with a single powerful charger. But connector and cables are wonky at best if you want to have a single cable for everything too (look up prices, thickness and lengths of USB-C PD 100W, alt-DP 1.4 capable, USB 3+ speeds cables, and then watch them break in a few months of "regular" use like in a car charger).

But I want a better, more robust standard than USB-C! Can that happen with the law in place? I don't know, but that scares me.

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

#314

Post by Lutzb »

ChrisRR wrote: post #232
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…

Does no-one remember how there were like 50 different phone connectors in the early 2000s? This is why we all (apart from Apple) settled on one standard

This so much. This era was defined by vendor lock-in. Getting e.g. a dedicated car phone audio setup was tough decision, since you could not just change the phone.

I still have a box of old phones with custom chargers, headsets and data cables. The Nokia barrel plug (different sizes), the Siemens comb style connector, the Ericsson break away type connector, the Motorola two prong, the Bosch connector and some really weird LG/NEC/SAGEM plugs.

Good riddance.

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

#315

Post by donatj »

pimterry wrote: post #307
donatj wrote: post #239

This is supposed to "prevent e-waste", but I can't imagine how. Like I've switched between iOS and Android, and I didn't just throw all my lightning cables out. Now with them being made actually useless rather than not what I'm using right now , it's going to create so much e-waste when every iPhone user switches cables. Seems like it's doing the exact opposite of what it's intended.

It also mandates that manufacturers must make "do you want a charger" optional in purchases of electronic devices, which is where waste reduction comes in. That only works because the chargers are all interoperable, and hopefully leads to a world where far fewer device chargers & cables are produced and distributed unnecessarily.

If it were about chargers, you'd only need to dictate the plug on the charger, not the plug on the phone.

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

#316

Post by manuelabeledo »

_trackno5 wrote: post #49

Why do people think it is a good thing to have this enforced by law is beyond me. I don't see any win besides a minor convenience. A lightning cable weighs almost nothing and it's not a big deal to have one around. As to lightning port limitations, I question whether usb-c will give average iPhone users any other advantage other than charging their phone. What are people gonna do with it other than charge their phone…

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 revenue from those, and their certifications, is not something they are willing to dismiss. Technically speaking, if you want something as simple as a cable, you have to go through Apple and their MFI program.

So here we are, with Apple holding the keys to every Lightning accessory, and also keeping a degree of control of USB-C.

If anything, the EU is trying to keep Apple honest.

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

#317

Post by notright »

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…

No post body was provided.

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

#318

Post by cyborgx7 »

Self-regulation only works if government regulation is a serious threat in case self-regulation fails. In this case, self-regulation failed, so government regulation stepped in to force industry to do what is right.

All the handwringing about stifling innovation is on its face ridiculous as mandates to use micro-usb didn't stop android phones from adopting the new and better standard as soon as it was viable.

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

#319

Post by _fat_santa »

Night_Thastus wrote: post #279

I have no sympathy or love for Apple, but this seems wrong. Technology comes and goes, standards evolve and fall away as new ones arrive. I don't think the law has any place in deciding who uses what connector in this fashion. They can make an e-waste argument all they want, but it's nonsense. All it does is stifle future work on connectors and devices in general.

In principle I agree with you, but in practice I don't. When Apple released lightning we didn't yet have a USB-C, so lightning was a good alternative, even though it was proprietary. Now things are very different, and USB-C is here and is widely used.

It would be one thing if we were stuck on Micro/MiniUSB and the EU wanted apple to use a clearly inferior technology, but USB-C stacks up very well against lightning, possibly even better.

I don't see this as the EU saying "you must start using USB-C" and more "look you can't use your proprietary cords anymore that we have very good standards, considering you are the biggest phone maker on the planet"

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

#320

Post by Krkrmfnfmmd »

allendoerfer wrote: post #15
izacus wrote: post #2

Bizarrely enough, this is actually a big boost to consider an iPhone for me. Having everything on USB-C is such a convenience that it was my no. 1 reason to stay in the other ecosystem.

It's the number one reason, why I am not upgrading and tell everyone who asks me, to not do it either. This law is so good, even its anticipation has environmental benefits.

The law will stifle further innovation for cables. Imagine still having USB A because the EU said so.
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