When they’re made obsolete, let’s all send our iPhone chargers to Margrethe Vestager. I wonder if she realizes that otherwise we might have been able to continue to use them.
Also, given that this applies to various device types, including game consoles, are we to believe that phone chargers and PlayStation 6 power supplies must be interchangeable? So will the consoles be limited in power or will all chargers just draw a ton of energy? If they’re not interchangeable, what’s the point?
It does not include non-portable game consoles. "USB-C will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles." Even if this was the case, a 65w power supply doesn't draw 65w when charging an iPhone at 15w, it draws about 16.5w.
Thanks. Something I read just said “game consoles,” which to me meant non-portable gaming devices, but what you say makes more sense of course. I thought “console” essentially implied non-portable.
It’ll be a shame if this regulation encourages more of a push towards wireless charging, which is much more wasteful than having to buy a new USB-Lightning cable every 6-8 years when the old one wears out. But I suppose the opposite is also possible, since wireless charging is already mostly standard across devices, so someone might resort to wireless if they didn’t have the right connector. Then again, the fact that all Lightning-connector phones already also support an alternate standardized charging connector (Qi) is one more reason why this regulation seems a bit misguided.
Apple should have done this with the iPhone 12 when they discontinued including the charging brick with the phone and instead included a charging a USB-C cable but with USB-C at only one end!
Even a progressive high tech company like Apple needs a kick in the ass once in while.
Just in c case you missed it, Apple supplies a nearly 100 watt USB C charger for the 2019 vintage 16" laptop. So there will still be different power supplies or else a device needing 5 watts gets toasted by a 100 watt power supply. The Apple design of both the device and power supply allows for conversation to control the power flow. That capability is usually not on non-apple devices.
Apple will move to USB-C in iPhone when comfortable to know non-standard usb-c chargers don't mess up iPhone. iPhone will support usb-c sooner or later unless soon the world moves to wireless charging.
Considering that USB C is 20 to 40 times faster than Lightning, Apple users should be pretty happy about this ruling. Apple constantly markets the speed of their processors but never mention how dreadfully slow and outdated their iPhone connectors are compared to the competition. The reason why Apple insists on keeping Lightning on their phones is not technical. It is due to greed and the insane need to control everything users can do with their devices. If an iPhone had a USB C drive, users could demand to (gasp) plug a fast SSD into them for backups or many other things that Apple would frown upon.
Just in c case you missed it, Apple supplies a nearly 100 watt USB C charger for the 2019 vintage 16" laptop. So there will still be different power supplies or else a device needing 5 watts gets toasted by a 100 watt power supply. The Apple design of both the device and power supply allows for conversation to control the power flow. That capability is usually not on non-apple devices.
That is total crap and 100% wrong. Any standards compliant USB-C charger by any company can be used with the any USB-C device by any company, but it won’t charge if it’s unable to supply the minimum power that device needs. Much the same as with lightning, a Chinese knockoff charger might kill you or your device. Stop spreading FUD.
I had three different hair trimmers from Philips - means one brand/producer!!! - each of them with totally different charging port. How come this doesn’t bother anyone in EC?
I had three different hair trimmers from Philips - means one brand/producer!!! - each of them with totally different charging port. How come this doesn’t bother anyone in EC?
That kind of thing is ridiculous. However I don’t think USB-C would work for that, because it needs to be pretty robust to deal with lint/hair/whatever that is much more likely to get into the port than with a phone. They could stipulate that other handheld devices of a particular type or brand should all have at least the same port. There is absolutely no need for manufacturers to keep changing the basic charging port, that’s all about charging extortionate amounts to replace a busted charger.
Great. Talk about stifling innovation. What happens when the next generation of USB or Thunderbolt or something brand new comes along. How long will it take the EU bureaucrats to legislate the next charging protocol? As for innovation why would tech company engineers even make the effort to improve charging when they’re staring years of bureaucratic morass in the face to get the new system ‘approved’?
So the EU has now declared that USB-C is the be-all, end-all of ports. New, advanced technology need not apply. So let it be written, so let it be done.
Honestly, we need one port to rule all and USB4 is the answer. There are no "issues" with USB4 and in the future where we need higher speed, there is no reason why USB5 or USB6 cannot support high speed. It may require a special cable to take advantage of high speed but that's fine as most won't need high speed until it becomes mainstream. Even USB4 is working on delivering 200W.
USB4 supports [email protected] thanks to Alt Mode. We don't need HDMI anymore. HDMI is hideous in design - it's too thick and it has ugly interface. USB-A is horrible too as it forces you to "orient" every time you plug in. USB-C solves that issue.
I am not seeing how we will innovate anything beyond the physical port interface/cable design.
Next thing they’ll suggest is that water be turned into wine. Europeans are not the only humans on the planet you know. How about instead you make and design your own technology. Truly pompous, egotistical and anti competitive anti innovation legislation…
Next thing they’ll suggest is that water be turned into wine. Europeans are not the only humans on the planet you know. How about instead you make and design your own technology. Truly pompous, egotistical and anti competitive anti innovation legislation…
You want Europeans to make and design their own technology and make that the standard, rather than standardising on a predominantly American technology? Pomposity and egotism sure works in a weird way in Europe.
Just in c case you missed it, Apple supplies a nearly 100 watt USB C charger for the 2019 vintage 16" laptop. So there will still be different power supplies or else a device needing 5 watts gets toasted by a 100 watt power supply. The Apple design of both the device and power supply allows for conversation to control the power flow. That capability is usually not on non-apple devices.
What do you mean by 'not on non-Apple devices'. To my knowledge this is an absolute requirement of high power charging setups on non-Apple devices. Huawei SuperCharge technology has absolute control of the charging process via chips in the phones, chargers and cables, plus a heap of security gateways on device. Of course, they will also charge with standard chargers too.
This proposal is about harmonising the charging situation across a swathe of electronic goods AND making it far easier for users to get the technical information about the charging capabilities.
There is a lot to like and once read, most people should be able to get their heads around why we reached this point.
It’s ego. Politicians and bureaucrats think that they know more about medicine than doctors, more about engineering than engineers, more about business than businessmen… more about everything than everyone.
And we have a “public school system” owned by the government, run by the government, and staffed by government employees. Critical thinking is discouraged. Students are taught to believe that government employees always know best. If a government fact sheet tells you that everyone should have USB-C chargers, then everyone should have USB-C chargers, because Big Brother knows best…
Next thing they’ll suggest is that water be turned into wine. Europeans are not the only humans on the planet you know. How about instead you make and design your own technology. Truly pompous, egotistical and anti competitive anti innovation legislation…
That's why they limit the scope of action to the EU and not the world. Innovation is tackled within the proposal (specifically stating that the proposal is designed NOT to impede innovation) .
On top of that, the EU is also designing its own technology and has been, like, for as long as it has existed.
Just this week a new milestone was reached on the EU processor initiative.
Just in c case you missed it, Apple supplies a nearly 100 watt USB C charger for the 2019 vintage 16" laptop. So there will still be different power supplies or else a device needing 5 watts gets toasted by a 100 watt power supply. The Apple design of both the device and power supply allows for conversation to control the power flow. That capability is usually not on non-apple devices.
USB-C charging is defined in the USB standards. The charger allows to draw current from it up to a maximum that is defined by the charger. The device will draw current up to maximum it needs. This is independent if the charger or the device is from Apple or not. So nobody needs to worry in terms of connecting different chargers to different devices. It could be that a charger does not work, because it cannot provide enough current for the device (a smartphone charger for a MBP), but no harm can be done. That is the great things about standards.
Overall I agree with the intent of the regulation, but like others I question the end implementation. For charging an iPhone lightning and USB C are mostly equivalent, my comment above notwithstanding. Apple has already transitioned some of its device lineup to USB C so it really has no reasonable excuse preventing it from doing so with the rest of the devices.
Does the regulation specify the connector on the phone, the charger or both? It’s unclear from the article. Regardless they need to have a sunset clause or some other provision for periodic review for exactly the reasons others have mentioned.
There is a lot to like and once read, most people should be able to get their heads around why we reached this point.
It’s ego. Politicians and bureaucrats think that they know more about medicine than doctors, more about engineering than engineers, more about business than businessmen… more about everything than everyone.
And we have a “public school system” owned by the government, run by the government, and staffed by government employees. Critical thinking is discouraged. Students are taught to believe that government employees always know best. If a government fact sheet tells you that everyone should have USB-C chargers, then everyone should have USB-C chargers, because Big Brother knows best…
To play devil’s advocate, one could say the same about ego and Tim Cook or Apple.
Beyond your reflexive opposition to any sort of government mandate, what is wrong with the proposal?
There is a lot to like and once read, most people should be able to get their heads around why we reached this point.
It’s ego. Politicians and bureaucrats think that they know more about medicine than doctors, more about engineering than engineers, more about business than businessmen… more about everything than everyone.
And we have a “public school system” owned by the government, run by the government, and staffed by government employees. Critical thinking is discouraged. Students are taught to believe that government employees always know best. If a government fact sheet tells you that everyone should have USB-C chargers, then everyone should have USB-C chargers, because Big Brother knows best…
Do you mind letting us know what country you are living in, where the public schools don't encourage critical thinking? I can't recognize this description at all -- on the contrary, schools in Sweden are often criticized for being too much about analyzing and too little about memorizing "hard facts".
Comments
USB4 supports [email protected] thanks to Alt Mode. We don't need HDMI anymore. HDMI is hideous in design - it's too thick and it has ugly interface. USB-A is horrible too as it forces you to "orient" every time you plug in. USB-C solves that issue.
I am not seeing how we will innovate anything beyond the physical port interface/cable design.
This proposal is about harmonising the charging situation across a swathe of electronic goods AND making it far easier for users to get the technical information about the charging capabilities.
On top of that, the EU is also designing its own technology and has been, like, for as long as it has existed.
Just this week a new milestone was reached on the EU processor initiative.
USB-C charging is defined in the USB standards. The charger allows to draw current from it up to a maximum that is defined by the charger. The device will draw current up to maximum it needs. This is independent if the charger or the device is from Apple or not. So nobody needs to worry in terms of connecting different chargers to different devices. It could be that a charger does not work, because it cannot provide enough current for the device (a smartphone charger for a MBP), but no harm can be done. That is the great things about standards.