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EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

xda-developers.com

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Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#321

Post by ravenstine »

ubercow13 wrote: post #300
sidewndr46 wrote: post #287

Does anyone feel it is a little strange to have a government entity mandating a physical interconnect? I guess it has worked out well enough for receptacles. But on a phone it acts as a data connection as well. I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything.

The government already mandates the electricity interconnect one step back at the wall socket. This is just extending that to modern devices.

I guess it depends on how far you want it to go. If electric sockets aren't standard then that creates bottlenecks in infrastructure interchangeability.

To me, I don't see why government has any business in USB. Bluetooth maybe since it takes up the air. But USB? It's bad enough that wall sockets haven't improved. Will we be stuck with USB-C long after its natural EOL?

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#322

Post by sidewndr46 »

snek_case wrote: post #305
sidewndr46 wrote: post #287

Does anyone feel it is a little strange to have a government entity mandating a physical interconnect? I guess it has worked out well enough for receptacles. But on a phone it acts as a data connection as well. I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything.

You say that, but USB-A ports are close to 25 years old, and still plenty adequate for a lot of things, from headsets to audio interfaces to keyboard and mice. Devices with USB-A ports are still sold. I wish my MacBook Pro had some good old USB-A ports.

I actually feel USB-B is a very robust plug. But it is just so large that most devices nowadays don't have the real estate for it.

The other advantage is that since it is so large, if you get dust and stuff in it you can often use something non-conductive to clean it out.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#323

Post by maeln »

doikor wrote: post #166
maeln wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What's Apple reasoning for not abandoning Lightning for USB-C on their phones? I can think of 3 reasons: 1. A lightning port is slightly smaller than USB-c, so it enable Apple to keep their phone slimmer than the competition in theory. 2. Apple loves to be in control of everything. With lightning, they could make a switch to a "lightning 2.O" cable / port whenever they so pleased. With USB-C they would be restricte…

> 1. A lightning port is slightly smaller than USB-c, so it enable Apple to keep their phone slimmer than the competition in theory. In theory sure but in practice there are thinner Android phones with USB-C connectors than any iPhone. Basically these days the thickness is purely about how good camera you want and how much battery. The usb/lightning plug is not really an issue. For the record the thinnest iPhone is i…

I completely agree and I really doubt that it is the real reason, but it is something that Apple might still consider.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#324

Post by [deleted] »

sidewndr46 wrote: post #287

Does anyone feel it is a little strange to have a government entity mandating a physical interconnect? I guess it has worked out well enough for receptacles. But on a phone it acts as a data connection as well. I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything.

[deleted]

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#325

Post by zibzab »

TadasPaplauskas wrote: post #297
walterbell wrote: post #278

They need to mandate the presence of a physical cable, otherwise Apple will drop the port and move to wireless charging. Wired cable remains important for high-quality audio and secure data transfers. Both WiFi and Bluetooth have a long and storied history of vulnerabilities. While they are at it, can we please have a dedicated physical cable port for audio? It doesn't have to be TRRS 3.5mm, but it must be possible t…

> otherwise Apple will drop the port and move to wireless charging Since the aim is to reduce e-waste, I suppose going all-in with wireless charging wouldn't be a problem (or even preferable) in the eyes of the law.

wireless charging is less efficient and may even affect battery longevity.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#326

Post by sbuk »

reeealloc wrote: post #276
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #275

The article focuses on forcing USB-C ports (popular), but the proposal also unbundles chargers from products like cell phones (unpopular). Apple and several other vendors already unbundled chargers from their boxes with mixed reception. Will be interesting to see how this proposal is received when people realize it means they’ll be purchasing chargers separately.

Presumably unbundled chargers will be fine with USB-C on everything. It's not proprietary like Apple's chargers and easy to find.

What is proprietary about Apples chargers? They sell USB-A and USB-C wall warts, and their devices happily charge on non-Apple chargers. Their laptop chargers are USB-C and have been for some time. I charge my MBP from a Lenovo power brick. The only proprietary part is the lightning connector.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#327

Post by rglullis »

toyg wrote: post #317
sidewndr46 wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know enough about the EU to say if the laws will adapt. But in the US, I very much view it as once something is legislated it becomes a permanent fixture of our society.

This is already a change from previous legislation that effectively mandated micro-USB. So yeah, it can be done.

Does it count if no one ever complied to this legislation? Where are the micro-usb iPhones?

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#328

Post by scohesc »

ethbr0 wrote: post #280

From the announcement https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_... (linked in article) > Today, the Commission is proposing: > A harmonised charging port for electronic devices: USB-C will be the common port. > Harmonised fast charging technology will help prevent that different producers unjustifiably limit the charging speed and will help to ensure that charging speed is the same when using any c…

Wait, they want to have USB-C ports on plug chargers?

Guess I'm getting a bunch of USB-C to USB-A adapters to plug in my USB-A to USB-C cables.. :\

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#329

Post by ortusdux »

sidewndr46 wrote: post #312
GordonS wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I don't. Here the EU is creating legislation that forces manufacturers to increase interoperability, be more consumer-friendly, and more climate friendly. This all seems within the remit of governments to me. > I guess I just wonder if in 20 years will every device still have a USB-C port on it in some odd location? No one is using it anymore, but it is still mandatory on everything. Or course not, it's not like…

I don't know enough about the EU to say if the laws will adapt. But in the US, I very much view it as once something is legislated it becomes a permanent fixture of our society.

I am a huge proponent of sunset provisions, especially when legislating tech and things that correlate with tech advances.

Re: EU plans to force OEMs to use a common charger for all phones

#330

Post by walterbell »

gwbas1c wrote: post #319
walterbell wrote: post #278

They need to mandate the presence of a physical cable, otherwise Apple will drop the port and move to wireless charging. Wired cable remains important for high-quality audio and secure data transfers. Both WiFi and Bluetooth have a long and storied history of vulnerabilities. While they are at it, can we please have a dedicated physical cable port for audio? It doesn't have to be TRRS 3.5mm, but it must be possible t…

> They need to mandate the presence of a physical cable, otherwise Apple will drop the port and move to wireless charging. I think the free market can take care of that. If you want a physical connector, just buy a device that comes with one. You just might need to go to a place like Guitar Center (instrument store) to buy one. That's what I did when I needed headphones.

Sadly, non-iOS devices have way less security, so that's not an option. Spoken as a former user of Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Maemo and Meego. And current owner of Sailfish and Pinephone.

Network effects mean that some apps are only on iOS and Android. Of those two, only iOS has a net-effective security and privacy story, if used without iCloud.

The free market includes feedback from existing users. Microsoft learned that over time. Even Apple does, reversing course on keyboards and touch bar.

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