India the latest country that may require Apple to shift to USB-C for the iPhone
India's government is investigating adopting common chargers for all portable electronic devices, adding yet another government to the list who wants Apple to move away from its Lightning connector.
Following Europe's mandate that USB-C be adopted as a common charging standard by 2024, India is considering doing the same. On Wednesday, August 17, 2022, Indian Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh held a meeting with manufacturers to begin exploring the issue.
According to local newspaper the Deccan Herald, the government has now decided to look at adopting two common chargers. One of the two may be USB-C, but there was no information about what the second type could be.
The government is now setting up three separate groups to explore the issue, and its experts are to submit a report within two months.
"It is a complex issue. India has a position in the manufacturing of chargers," Rohit Kumar Singh told the publication. "We have to understand everybody's perspective -- industry, the users, manufacturers and environment -- before taking a final decision."
The three groups will each examine different types of devices. One will be concerned with phones, one with laptops and tablets, and the third with wearable devices.
Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, Singh described the process as being "more of an explorative nature."
"We will try to learn from the stakeholders how a common charger can be adopted in India," he said. "We will also try to understand their concerns."
Separately, the US has also been exploring the use of common chargers, not necessarily USB-C.
Read on AppleInsider
Following Europe's mandate that USB-C be adopted as a common charging standard by 2024, India is considering doing the same. On Wednesday, August 17, 2022, Indian Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh held a meeting with manufacturers to begin exploring the issue.
According to local newspaper the Deccan Herald, the government has now decided to look at adopting two common chargers. One of the two may be USB-C, but there was no information about what the second type could be.
The government is now setting up three separate groups to explore the issue, and its experts are to submit a report within two months.
"It is a complex issue. India has a position in the manufacturing of chargers," Rohit Kumar Singh told the publication. "We have to understand everybody's perspective -- industry, the users, manufacturers and environment -- before taking a final decision."
The three groups will each examine different types of devices. One will be concerned with phones, one with laptops and tablets, and the third with wearable devices.
Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, Singh described the process as being "more of an explorative nature."
"We will try to learn from the stakeholders how a common charger can be adopted in India," he said. "We will also try to understand their concerns."
Separately, the US has also been exploring the use of common chargers, not necessarily USB-C.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Users: So you will take on the responsibility together with your buddy-countries to develop the next standard, and take that load off the shoulders of the industry. Oh, and not 2050, just like, you know, innovation-and-earning oriented companies do?
India: *chrickets*
It doesn't matter which side you use as long as it's the same for everyone in the area. That is the whole point.
Countries like China, US, India could all go for different standards but would that be the best way forward?
Probably not.
/s
As T-Bone pointed out above, USB-C is not a standard in the way a layperson would define "standard" - the socket on the device is the same shape, the plug on the end of the cable is the same shape, but the capabilities of the cable can vary to a substantial degree and there is significant effort required to determine those capabilities.
It used to be that the plugs on each end would tell you what a cable could do, and that was an elegant solution to the problem of conveying the information. Now that the idea of making USB-C the "one standard to rule them all" has become popular with the manufacturers, the trade-off for all the benefits it provides is added confusion. I don't think that's the right trade-off to make.
A propietary connector wouldn't make it common would it? That is one of the goals. Making life simpler for consumers. It isn't only about the electrical charging side.
Also, remember that the EU proposal is not limited to phones but an entire swathe of CE products.
I have not seen any kitchen appliances with non-standard power cords. All of mine are built in to the devices.
Ironically I do have some non-kitchen appliances that do have non-standard charging setups but those will be included in the common charging proposal so, going forward at least, that issue will be resolved by the proposal.
Also remember that the EU proposal is just one of a number of far reaching proposals that will have a massive impact on consumers' lives and the environment.
Stay tuned for the updated Battery Directive.
all this is totally irrelevant when it comes to charging, which is the topic at hand
i don't care if the cable supports 4k video or not
i don't care if it supports 5gb or 20gb data transfer, or even no data transfer
i just want the same charger/cable to plug into all my devices and charge them, period
i was recently on vacation
i had one HP 65w USB-C charger that charged my laptop (Microsoft surface laptop 3) work phone (Microsoft surface duo 2) iPad pro, and portable power pack
all with zero issues
thing is, there is no technical reason why the iPhone doesn't use USB-C
its a business decision pure and simple, all for the royalties of the "Made for iPhone"
if USB-C was inferior why does apple use it for its laptops and iPads?