[ad_1]
Lawmakers within the European Union say they have reached an agreement on the “common charger” mandate that was proposed last year. By the end of 2024, all battery-powered wearables sold in the EU must have a USB-C port or rely entirely on wireless charging. And yes, this applies to the Apple iPhone.
The reasoning behind this decision is quite simple: could reduce consumer spending and e-waste. Lawmakers within the EU believe that people spend €250 million on “unnecessary” cable purchases every year. And although e-waste is difficult to measure, the EU estimates that a “common shipper” could reduce the annual burden of e-waste by 11,000 tonnes.
Most electronics manufacturers are not affected by this change. If anything, they can lower prices (or charge customers for more revenue) by selling products without chargers. But companies that are known for their proprietary charging systems, notably Apple, are in trouble.
We have reached an agreement on the common charger! 🔌👏
✔️mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, digital cameras and more #USBtypeC
✔️harmonized fast charging technology
✔️ disaggregation of charger sales from device sales🔴 Press conference at 12.30 CEST ➡️ https://t.co/TCBXxzIEdr pic.twitter.com/29JmeL0nxe
– IMCO Committee Press (@EP_SingleMarket) June 7, 2022
Apple has repeatedly argued against this legislation, essentially stating that the regulatory action stifles innovation. It’s an understandable but ironic concern, given that the Lightning cable falls far short of USB-C specs and was replaced by USB-C in the iPad Pro several years ago.
If I had to take a guess, Apple wants to avoid major changes to the iPhone until it can develop a next-generation wireless charging system, which has been rumored for some time. Switching the iPhone to USB-C won’t bother too much, but if the iPhone runs out of a port just a year or two later, customers will be upset.
So Apple has two years to fully adopt USB-C or launch a portless iPhone. And I sincerely doubt that the latter option will be possible, at least not until the end of the decade. Tim Cook would need to shoot down a UFO to make a Okay portless phone by 2024, as current wireless charging systems are slow, short-range, and outrageously wasteful.
It seems that Apple is already aware of this predicament. Recent leaks suggest it’s working on a USB-C iPhone by 2023, though of course we hear those rumors every year.
For what it’s worth geek review has some concerns about this legislation. The USB-C standard is full of very different products with different features, such as Power Delivery or DisplayPort functionality. Customers will continue to be confused and wasteful when buying chargers, and while the EU says it will continue to develop the “common charger” rule to keep up with changing trends, lawmakers aren’t exactly known for working quickly.
Source: European Parliament
[ad_2]
