Common charger for all mobile phones on the way in Europe • Hacker News Board

Re: Common charger for all mobile phones on the way in Europe

#61

Post by dingaling » Mon, Dec 30, 2013, 6:16 AM UTC

fleitz wrote: post #27

SwellJoe wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USB 3.0 is not an order of magnitude inferior to Lightning. As I understand it, the primary reason Lightning was chosen over micro USB was simply that the iPad needs more power than micro USB is specified to provide. That kind of thing can be resolved in the two years we have before this has to go into effect. I'm always on the side of standard connections. Which is one of several reasons I never choose Apple product…

I'm usually for standards however in the case of apple, it's basically it's own standard and in the case of MagSafe far superior.

Magnetic power connectors are clever, but were standard on rice cookers for a couple of decades before Apple adopted them. Not really 'theirs'.

Re: Common charger for all mobile phones on the way in Europe

#62

Post by kubiiii » Mon, Dec 30, 2013, 8:59 AM UTC

coob wrote: post #15

Ugh no thanks. Lightning is orders of magnitude superior to other current solutions (except cost). If it came to the point where this was actually enforced, I bet Apple would just pay the fines it receives and just continues to use Lightning.

The problem is that a very versatile connector (lightning or usb) is also used to make something as trivial as charging a battery. The UE rightfully wishes to standardize the battery charging part only but that means either adopting a standard connector which would be a regression for some constructors or split the functionnalities in a transparent way from the user POV.

Re: Common charger for all mobile phones on the way in Europe

#63

Post by w0utert » Mon, Dec 30, 2013, 12:33 PM UTC

simbolit wrote: post #41

w0utert wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I'm the one who's missing something here, but why is everyone so obsessed with the Lightning connector Apple uses? As far as I understand it, the proposed legislation is about universal chargers , not universal cables , and isn't intended to promote interoperability between phones from different manufacturers, but to limit the environmental impact of replacing the charger every time you switch phones. Last time…

sorry to disappoint you, but "charger" in this context means power supply PLUS cable.

That doesn't make sense, since it would mean manufacturers would not be able to provide any kind of connector on their devices that provides more than just USB and charging, which I cannot imagine to be true.

If an adapter that goes from [whatever port is on the device] to micro-USB would be enough to be compliant with the proposed legislation, Apple is already in compliance, because not only do they sell such an adapter already, the charger end of their Lightning cable also has a standard USB connector (which means it effectively is a Lightning-to-USB adapter itself).

I know the EU already talked about standard chargers for mobile phones even before the iPhone existed, because back then every phone used to have a non-standard charger plus attached, non-removable cable. The whole idea behind the legislation was that the charger got useless the moment you lost or replaced your phone, so lots of them ended up on landfills. Mandating a common charger would allow selling phones without a charger, and re-using old chargers with different phones.

Unless you can quote the exact bits of the proposed rules that say 'any mobile device will have a micro-USB port' (or whatever port would be considered even more 'standard'), I'm going to assume everyone is just getting all worked up about nothing again, because "OMG iPhone does not have micro-USB, make them add it!".

Re: Common charger for all mobile phones on the way in Europe

#64

Post by zuppy » Mon, Dec 30, 2013, 2:09 PM UTC

simbolit wrote: post #58

ris wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple supply a usb micro B adaptor with their products.

only in europe and only with their phones (where they have to). ipads in europe also come without adaptors.

Well, I haven't received any micro usb adapter in the iPhone 5s package (just the standard lightning to usb cable). I think it's just a recommendation, not a law.

Re: Common charger for all mobile phones on the way in Europe

#65

Post by laacz » Mon, Dec 30, 2013, 4:37 PM UTC

danbmil99 wrote: post #22

The question to ask is this: if this law were already in place, would Apple (or any manufacturer) ever innovate something like Lightning or the magnetic mac chargers, given that they then also have to support the common standard, putting them at a significant cost disadvantage? This kind of regulation, while arguably well-meaning, always seems to end up distorting market forces and discouraging innovation.

In Europe Apple provides you an option to buy this [1] device, which would make their devices compliant (as this has not been mandatory). Under new regulartion they could just bundle them.

[1]: http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD820ZM/A/lightning-to-mic...