New EU rule will require all phones and electronics to use a standard charger

[BMWMTBer]

@Wintermute

@mcarley

This is a consumer convenience issue.

It is more than that. It avoids abusing the consumer by using expensive cables that can’t be used with other devices. It also cuts down on E-waste. That is why I support it.

Apple has a long history of abusing its customers.

[imabass]

To help EV cars, they need standardized batteries and standard charging ports.

[crparrothead]

@imabass

To help EV cars, they need standardized batteries and standard charging ports.

Not sure about batteries, but charging ports should be universal.

[mcarley]

@crparrothead

Not sure about batteries, but charging ports should be universal.

That would be nice.

[butler]

@system

Apple and other smartphone makers will be required to support USB-C as part of a single charging standard for mobile devices across the European Union by as early as the fall of 2024 under a new law announced Tuesday by EU officials.

Finally joining an industry standard…good for Apple. I’ve been using USB-C for my Pixel and my laptops for over a year now…

[brobbs]

@crparrothead

Devils advocate.
What if every electrical device had a different plug and you had to have a different outlet in your house for everything that used electricity?
Or, back in the days of land lines, what if every carrier had a different plug?

The market would consolidate things reasonably well, or have adapters available on the cheap.

People worried about the same thing regarding cell phone manufacturers & operating systems. The market consolidated those down without a problem.

This is excessive interference. Standardizing things by force tends to discourage new innovations that are safer, more efficient, etc.

[imabass]

@crparrothead

Not sure about batteries

If Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, whoever… would band together and start a battery joint venture and standardize battery sizes and capacity, the battery cost would get substantially cheaper. Then there would be less resistance to buying a EV with the potential $20K replacement battery down the road. The standardized batteries would be easily swapped, recycled, and refurbished. Got a small car, maybe you only need 2 batteries, it you have a sedan you have 4, if you have a truck you have 8. This would also allow extended range to be easily added.

[glasspilot]

This exact same thing happened 15ish years ago. Back when we had flip phones and hershey bar phones it seemed every charger was different (and poorly designed too).

The EU made a law that every phone had to use the USB “micro” charger. My Android Moto E6 uses the micro USB. That connector has a fatal flaw. It is tiny and easy to plug in upside down! It doesn’t take long to destroy your phone charge port if you’re careless.

The huge advantage of Type “C” is you can plug it in either way, you can’t screw it up. I kind of support the EU with this law. Of course the problem is, in a few years everything will change again!

[BMWMTBer]

I remember this with the first phones, pain in the ass. I didnt realize EU forced the change. Everybody complains about california and EU but very often they are ahead of the game.