European Commission proposes legislation mandating USB-C charging for mobile devices, citing electronic waste; Apple is the main USB-C holdout
an initiative it says will reduce environmental waste but that is likely to hit Apple the hardest. https://www.nytimes.com/... @fasterthanlime : Will Apple waste 45-55% energy efficiency to avoid complying with EU regulations? Stay tuned! https://twitter.com/... Thierry Breton / @thierrybreton : “Sorry, wrong charger” 🔌 This sentence will soon only evoke bad memories! Smartphones, tablets, portable gaming consoles, headphones... will all be equipped with the same USB port. A #CommonCharger means : 💸 Savings for the consumer 🗑Waste & CO2 reduction https://twitter.com/... Soumik Roy / @soumikroy : Exclusive: The United States and European Union plan to take a more unified approach to limit the growing market power of Big Tech companies, such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon according to a draft memo seen by Reuters https://www.reuters.com/... 1/5 ... Jonathan Landay / @jonathanlanday : EXCLUSIVE The United States and European Union plan to take a more unified approach to limit the growing market power of Big Tech companies, according to a draft memo seen by Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/... Joshua Swingle / @joshuaswingle : Apple's response: “We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.” https://www.reuters.com/... https://twitter.com/... Christina Warren / @film_girl : The worst thing about mandating a port type is that it will just encourage phone makers to get rid of ports altogether, which for repairability and usability, is frankly worse. Christina Warren / @film_girl : I'm going to be unpopular and call this sort of movement by the EU draconian and frankly, bullshit. I understand why well-meaning people think it is a good idea, but I think this is terrible. https://twitter.com/... @yuusharo : @HKilset @film_girl Is it? What happens if a successor connector comes along, perhaps something contactless or port-less, and manufacturers are slow / unwilling to adopt because they need to comply with this ruling? What if a device needs power delivery beyond what USB-C can provide? Cullen / @cullend : USB-C is a port that supports like 20 different protocols. Like if you plugged your iPad Pro charger into a Nintendo Switch you'd fry it. This proposal doesn't even fix that Rene Ritchie / @reneritchie : I want USB-C (actually TB3) on the iPhone Pro badly, but Lightning made the iPhone 5 possible in 2012, 3 years before USB-C shipped, and I prefer a world where leaps forward aren't stymied by EU myopia or USB Forum stasis. (Or pushed wireless faster, because I'm Galactica...) https://twitter.com/... Carolina Milanesi / @caro_milanesi : Not a bad theory considering Apple could have added USB-C with iPhone13 and didn't and all the products they added it too do NOT use wireless charging https://twitter.com/... Andy Ihnatko / @ihnatko : Have I made my point yet about how silly I think your argument about your Unstoppable Freight Train Of Charging Connector Innovation is, Apple? I think so but I doubt that'll change your stance any. Andy Ihnatko / @ihnatko : Apple: “The EU's directive on standardized charge connectors would only stifle our company's _insatiable_ pursuit of innovation. It would harm [wipes tear] our users.” Yeah, right. Apple's Lightning connector is so behind the times it's still doing Austin Powers impressions. Evan Greer / @evan_greer : Hm. I love the idea of forcing Apple to end their absolutely bullshit scam practice of locking people into proprietary chargers they change just to squeeze you for more $$$, but feel a little leary about the idea of governments dictating hardware requirements for phones... https://twitter.com/... Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur : Mandating USB-C for phone charging sockets is going to create a fabulous market for little dongles that convert from a USB-C plug to a whateveryourphonetakes plug. I'd imagine Apple will make and sell one. Also, where's the evidence of e-waste caused by the variance? Tom Warren / @tomwarren : Apple can just move to a portless iPhone instead. “A spokesperson for the Commission has confirmed to The Verge that if a device charges only wirelessly, then there is no requirement to integrate a USB-C charging port.” https://www.theverge.com/... Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : “With today's proposal [...], the charging port and fast charging technology will be harmonised: USB-C will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles.” AirPods too, then? Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : ...and wireless charging standards must have wide adoption or be subject to a similar directive, so Apple might not be able to keep its fast-charging iPhone-only. Though I think there's space here for Apple to use Qi for charging and e.g. 60.5GHz wireless data transfer https://twitter.com/... Dan Seifert / @dcseifert : i'm all for standardizing charging cables, but does the EU realize that even within USB-C there are wild differences from cable to cable? a USB-C cable may or may not support any of the following: *Thunderbolt *High wattages (100W) *Video *Fast data speeds Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane : gonna be interesting to see whether Apple will comply or ditch the port altogether in favor of MagSafe https://twitter.com/... Jamie Bishop / @jamiebishop123 : This move would absolutely stifle innovation. It's a move that is so short-sighted with absolutely zero thoughts given to the medium/long term. https://www.bbc.com/... @eu_commission : 📲 A harmonised charging port (USB-C) ⚡ Harmonised fast charging technology 🔌 Possibility to buy a new device without charger ℹ️ More info on device packaging to see if the charger you have at home is suitable More about what we propose: https://europa.eu/!jCJRmB #DigitalEU https://twitter.com/... Sean Hollister / @starfire2258 : This is simply going to push Apple to wireless charging and a portless iPhone. Letting people charge iPhones from any Android charger or USB-C laptop charger would garner Apple some praise and cut e-waste long term, but it would rather rule its ecosystem with an iron fist. https://twitter.com/... Economic / @economictimes : Under the European Commission's proposal, a USB-C connector will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles. Chargers will also be sold separately. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ ... Jon.Porter / @jonporty : Important update re: hypothetical portless iPhone https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Sam Bowman / @s8mb : So we're just stuck with USB-C forever then? What if someone invents a better port, will they still have to include a USB-C port as well? https://twitter.com/... Parker / @pt : @stevesi As much as I really wish the iPhone were USB-C, this seems like a very bad idea. We all hate the next port until we have it, then we prefer it. Tom Warren / @tomwarren : Today's EU news doesn't mean Apple HAS to switch to USB-C on future iPhones. The EU's USB-C proposal might give us a portless iPhone instead https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/... Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur : And Apple stopped selling chargers with its phones last year - you just get the phone and a charging cable. (USB-C to Lightning, which I recall upset some folk here without a USB-C charger. But USB-A to Lightning charger + port still works.) Matthew Green / @matthew_d_green : A future where everything is actually wireless, but you have to click through a modal dialog box every time you charge your phone. https://twitter.com/... Wojtek Kopczuk / @wwwojtekk : As much as I dislike Apple as a company, that is just stupid https://twitter.com/... Patrick Hedger / @pathedger18 : *whispers* Isn't... isn't wireless charging already universal? https://twitter.com/...
Associated Press
Context & Ripple Effects
The Commission's proposal follows the European Parliament's earlier push for a common mobile-device charging standard, which Apple opposed on innovation and consumer-harm grounds. Moving from a parliamentary measure to draft legislation makes the dispute a concrete product-policy issue rather than a standards preference.
The proposal is aimed at chargers for several portable-device categories, but its wireless-only exception preserves a distinct route for devices that avoid wired charging altogether.
First-order effects
Apple, identified as the principal USB-C holdout, faces immediate pressure to defend or alter its connector approach as the Commission starts the legislative process.
Device makers whose products rely on wired charging would be drawn into a common-port requirement if the proposal is enacted, while wireless-only devices fall outside the stated USB-C obligation.
Second-order effects
A common wired port would weaken connector compatibility as a differentiator among device makers, shifting competition toward the devices and charging experience built around it.
Charger and accessory sellers would gain a clearer shared target for compatible wired products, while Apple has an incentive to emphasize wireless charging's exempt status.
Third-order effects
The proposal points to interoperability becoming a regulatory constraint on hardware ecosystems: proprietary interfaces can become harder to sustain when policymakers treat compatibility as an environmental and consumer-cost issue.
The later EU legislative agreement on USB-C in the related coverage shows this proposal became a durable template for setting device-interface rules through product regulation.
The trend: Consumer-electronics regulation is increasingly using interoperability requirements to reduce accessory waste and limit the strategic value of closed hardware interfaces.
Are your chargers piling up in a drawer? We propose a common charger for mobile phones and other similar electronic devices. A single charger will be more convenient for people and will reduce electronic waste. Read more: https://europa.eu/!bVgVXY #DigitalEU https://twitter.com/.…
This is a profoundly stupid way to approach product design and standardisation. What happens in 5 years when someone wants to use a better connector? What if they'd picked USB 3 five years ago? https://twitter.com/...
BREAKING: the EU is planning to force Apple and other smartphone makers to use USB-C ports. “USB-C will be the common port,” says the European Commission in its proposals. There will be a transition period of 2 years once proposals are adopted. Details: https://www.theverge.com/.…
Why stop at phones when it comes to USB-C? Why not just replace all connectors with it? Calling Tesla... Also have they even tried to buy the right type of usb-c cable and been successful? Good grief EU!@&€¥*%
Apple's response: “We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.” https://www.reuters.com/... https://twitter.com/...
I cannot stop laughing at this. I have a heart for Europe, but this is so stereotypically Europe in a single news story. They didn't design it. They didn't manufacture it. They can't innovate further on it. But they WILL regulate it! 🤣 https://twitter.com/...
at the end of the day, yes, the iPhone should have a USB-C port on it. it's absurd that it doesn't. but there needs to be more rigor within the USB-C ecosystem itself, it's a mess right now.
This is not happening. Once it gets approved(if it ever is) Apple would have 24 months to do it. By that time iPhone will be portless. iPhones won't have USB-C https://twitter.com/...
“Sorry, wrong charger” 🔌 This sentence will soon only evoke bad memories! Smartphones, tablets, portable gaming consoles, headphones... will all be equipped with the same USB port. A #CommonCharger means : 💸 Savings for the consumer 🗑Waste & CO2 reduction https://twitter.com/...
After travelling on campaign with three different kinds of charge cables, I cannot endorse this more emphatically. USB-C should be the standard. The failure rate of overpriced Lightning cables was abysmal. https://www.bbc.com/...
I'm extremely uncomfortable with government agencies dictating what types of ports manufacturers must include on their devices. This stifles innovation and it isn't their place. Imagine if they tried to do this on laptops. We wouldn't have had MagSafe (the first good one)
@waldojaquith Apple introduced FireWire in 1997 as an add-on option, then standard in 1999 onward, and retained it through 2012. So that was a 15-year period, and iPods from 2001-2004 had FireWire and could work with newly introduced Macs with a FW-to-FW cable for 8 more years!
@GlennF @gruber This! It's absolutely ludicrous that Apple didn't switch the iPhones to USB Type-C when they switched the iPads over... Especially when we finally have one power and data standard that's as close to universal as possible. Users survived the last switch and will su…
The EU aims to make tech firms adopt a standard charging port for phones, tablets and other gadgets, and that hasn't gone down well with Apple https://www.reuters.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Even fitted with a case, the iPhone 13 Pro still fully works with the MagSafe Duo charger. It will still charge as normal and at normal speeds, thanks to MagSafe magnets. There's really nothing to see, but 🤷♂️ https://www.macrumors.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Literally Apple, “the USB-C is amazing, we use it to charge out new iPad and new MacBook! Lol but not on the iPhone you loser, now we gotta go port-less for some reason. Oops!” https://twitter.com/...
The European Union unveiled plans on Thursday to make USB-C connectors the standard charging port for all electronic devices sold across the bloc — an initiative it says will reduce environmental waste but that is likely to hit Apple the hardest. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Personally, I'd be delighted if there was an iPhone with USB-C. But it kinda does feel like if the EU had been paying attention in the 1980s, we'd all be charging our phones over Centronics ports to this day.* (* I realize this is technically impossible.) https://daringfireball.n…
And what happens when USB-C isn't king anymore? Imagine this legislation a few years ago, we'd all be required to have Micro USB ports on everything today. Any stipulations for this to sunset/be revised? Or will people be fighting to finally overturn this in 5 yrs? https://twitte…
The European union mandating USB-C has literally been a discussion for at least 5 years. Everyone has self-regulated and gotten onboard for the most part, except Apple. I don't really want to hear excuses or complaints. It's for the greater good to have everyone use the same port
This single step alone can reduce tonnes of electronic waste! Good move which should be adopted across the globe and such standardization should be there in a lot more products and components. https://apnews.com/...
Exclusive: The United States and European Union plan to take a more unified approach to limit the growing market power of Big Tech companies, such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon according to a draft memo seen by Reuters https://www.reuters.com/... 1/5 ...
EXCLUSIVE The United States and European Union plan to take a more unified approach to limit the growing market power of Big Tech companies, according to a draft memo seen by Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/...
The worst thing about mandating a port type is that it will just encourage phone makers to get rid of ports altogether, which for repairability and usability, is frankly worse.
I'm going to be unpopular and call this sort of movement by the EU draconian and frankly, bullshit. I understand why well-meaning people think it is a good idea, but I think this is terrible. https://twitter.com/...
@HKilset @film_girl Is it? What happens if a successor connector comes along, perhaps something contactless or port-less, and manufacturers are slow / unwilling to adopt because they need to comply with this ruling? What if a device needs power delivery beyond what USB-C can prov…
USB-C is a port that supports like 20 different protocols. Like if you plugged your iPad Pro charger into a Nintendo Switch you'd fry it. This proposal doesn't even fix that
I want USB-C (actually TB3) on the iPhone Pro badly, but Lightning made the iPhone 5 possible in 2012, 3 years before USB-C shipped, and I prefer a world where leaps forward aren't stymied by EU myopia or USB Forum stasis. (Or pushed wireless faster, because I'm Galactica...) htt…
Not a bad theory considering Apple could have added USB-C with iPhone13 and didn't and all the products they added it too do NOT use wireless charging https://twitter.com/...
i'm all for standardizing charging cables, but does the EU realize that even within USB-C there are wild differences from cable to cable? a USB-C cable may or may not support any of the following: *Thunderbolt *High wattages (100W) *Video *Fast data speeds
Have I made my point yet about how silly I think your argument about your Unstoppable Freight Train Of Charging Connector Innovation is, Apple? I think so but I doubt that'll change your stance any.
Apple: “The EU's directive on standardized charge connectors would only stifle our company's _insatiable_ pursuit of innovation. It would harm [wipes tear] our users.” Yeah, right. Apple's Lightning connector is so behind the times it's still doing Austin Powers impressions.
Hm. I love the idea of forcing Apple to end their absolutely bullshit scam practice of locking people into proprietary chargers they change just to squeeze you for more $$$, but feel a little leary about the idea of governments dictating hardware requirements for phones... https:…
Mandating USB-C for phone charging sockets is going to create a fabulous market for little dongles that convert from a USB-C plug to a whateveryourphonetakes plug. I'd imagine Apple will make and sell one. Also, where's the evidence of e-waste caused by the variance?
Apple can just move to a portless iPhone instead. “A spokesperson for the Commission has confirmed to The Verge that if a device charges only wirelessly, then there is no requirement to integrate a USB-C charging port.” https://www.theverge.com/...
“With today's proposal [...], the charging port and fast charging technology will be harmonised: USB-C will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles.” AirPods too, then?
...and wireless charging standards must have wide adoption or be subject to a similar directive, so Apple might not be able to keep its fast-charging iPhone-only. Though I think there's space here for Apple to use Qi for charging and e.g. 60.5GHz wireless data transfer https://tw…
📲 A harmonised charging port (USB-C) ⚡ Harmonised fast charging technology 🔌 Possibility to buy a new device without charger ℹ️ More info on device packaging to see if the charger you have at home is suitable More about what we propose: https://europa.eu/!jCJRmB #DigitalEU https:…
This move would absolutely stifle innovation. It's a move that is so short-sighted with absolutely zero thoughts given to the medium/long term. https://www.bbc.com/...
This is simply going to push Apple to wireless charging and a portless iPhone. Letting people charge iPhones from any Android charger or USB-C laptop charger would garner Apple some praise and cut e-waste long term, but it would rather rule its ecosystem with an iron fist. https:…
Under the European Commission's proposal, a USB-C connector will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles. Chargers will also be sold separately. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ ...
So we're just stuck with USB-C forever then? What if someone invents a better port, will they still have to include a USB-C port as well? https://twitter.com/...
@stevesi As much as I really wish the iPhone were USB-C, this seems like a very bad idea. We all hate the next port until we have it, then we prefer it.
Today's EU news doesn't mean Apple HAS to switch to USB-C on future iPhones. The EU's USB-C proposal might give us a portless iPhone instead https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
And Apple stopped selling chargers with its phones last year - you just get the phone and a charging cable. (USB-C to Lightning, which I recall upset some folk here without a USB-C charger. But USB-A to Lightning charger + port still works.)
A future where everything is actually wireless, but you have to click through a modal dialog box every time you charge your phone. https://twitter.com/...
it's worth noting that the EU's proposals only cover wired chargers, and not wireless ones. Apple could move to an iPhone without ports, as has long been rumored, and I don't *think* they'll be forced to implement USB-C on top
It's unclear to me at this point where this leaves the rumors of a portless iPhone that relies solely on wireless charging. Would Apple be breaking the rules by not including USB-C? Or would it be ok given it's not including a charging port at all?
And yes, this is the device end, not the charging brick end. Though the commission ALSO wants charging bricks to use a common standard (a much easier task given they basically all use USB-A or USB-C at this point). But that proposal will come later
What's interesting is that the commission's proposals don't leave it up to manufacturers to decide. Its press release literally specifies that the port needs to be “USB-C”
Devices could have *other* ports, as well as USB-C, but a USB-C would be mandatory for e.g. phones, tablets, headphones, digital cameras, portable speakers & handheld video consoles - under the proposals
Press anno underway on EU proposals for common charger for smartphones, tablets & other electronic devices Commissioner @ThierryBreton says quite a lot chargers “end up in our drawers somewhere” & that something “needed to be done”
With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary. We are putting an end to that. With our proposal, you will be able to use a single charger for all these types of portable electronics ↓ #DigitalEU https://twitter.com/...