EU Proposes New Legislation That Would Force Apple to Bring USB-C to iPhones, iPads, and AirPods
Apple has shifted nearly every portable device to tout a USB-C port, except for its iPhone lineup, its AirPods family, and low-cost iPad. Why the company does not shift to an all-USB-C affair might have to do with receiving royalty payments from partners that manufacture third-party accessories of the proprietary port, but that arrangement might come to an end, thanks to a legislation from the EU.
The proposed legislation would force all consumer electronics, not just Apple, which sell devices in Europe, to incorporate USB-C ports in a variety of products, ranging from smartphones, tablets, headphones, cameras, portable speakers, handheld consoles, and others. Calling it the 'common port,' the European Union claims that switching all products to USB-C would not just have benefits to the environment, but annual monetary savings for consumers that mount to $293 million.
Impact assessment study on common chargers of portable devices
Also at Reuters, NYT, BBC, AppleInsider, and Politico.
Previously: The Dream Of A Common Charger Is Alive, Despite Apple's Complaining
Related Stories
The European Parliament is fed up with e-waste—in particular, charging cables. To fix the problem, lawmakers are debating a binding measure that would force gadget makers to use a standardised charging port.
This isn't the first time we've seen this from Europe. One reason why microUSB is so prevalent is back in 2009, the European Commission pushed for it as a universal standard on the continent. Even Apple, the notorious standout in the world of proprietary chargers, acquiesced and made available a microUSB adaptor. (Of course, it was Europe-only).
Once that initiative expired in 2014, European lawmakers tried again to force a common charger, reiterating that it would be not only convenient for consumers, but would also limit e-waste.
The only problem was the initiative called for a "voluntary approach"—a strategy that in a briefing, the European Parliament said has "not yielded the desired results" and "fell short of the co-legislators' objectives." And, while the briefing doesn't specify exactly what port type it has in mind, at this point, USB-C is the likeliest contender.
...
In 2018, European lawmakers conducted an inception impact assessment [PDF] on the idea of a common charger and called for feedback from manufacturers. In January last year, Apple provided it.In its statement, Apple contends that "regulations that would drive conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones freeze innovation rather than encourage it. Such proposals are bad for the environment and unnecessarily disruptive for customers."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:03PM (5 children)
It's long past time for this. AC wall outlets in homes are regulated and standardized, so it makes sense for DC plugs on electronics to receive the same standardization.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Friday September 24 2021, @02:32AM (4 children)
oh, wait….
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @08:27AM (3 children)
That is becoming true more and more. With international trade the way it is, it is easier to just have one universal power supply that takes all inputs and makes all the rails you need. I have coworkers that move internationally and they take all their favorite things when they move. A very large majority of them don't even need any active power adapter because they already have a universal wall wart or just take a simple IEC cord swap.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Friday September 24 2021, @12:40PM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @06:02PM
Use a bigger hammer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @11:15PM
I've plugged a number of UK devices into US outlets and they worked just fine.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:13PM (44 children)
The EU finally showed its true colors. Here come the jackboot thugs to force everyone to use the same charger. Communism pure and simple.
(Score: 5, Touché) by PiMuNu on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:18PM (13 children)
From Cambridge Dictionary:
> The belief in a society without different social classes in which the methods of production are owned and controlled by all its members and everyone works as much as they can and receives what they need
From AC:
> Communism is the enforcement of a common charger socket for mobile phones
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:27PM (10 children)
😁
I'm pretty sure Stalin, Mao, Castro, and Kim Jong-un all announced that a common charger standard were central to their Big Brother plans.
(Score: 5, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:34PM (9 children)
If you don't like USB C, then just wait for USB C++ which will be too complex for anyone to learn to use.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by Ox0000 on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:49PM (7 children)
"With USB-C, it's easy to stick it in the whole, USB-C++ makes that significantly harder, but when you manage to do so, it short-circuits your entire device"
(Score: 5, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:53PM (5 children)
One of the big advantages of USB-C is that you only have to flip the plug over once. You try to plug in USB-C, it doesn't seem to fit, so you flip the connector over and it fits.
With USB Micro B it works like this:
* You try to plug in your plug, it doesn't fit
* You flip it over and try, it still doesn't fit
* You flip it back over to the first way, and now it plugs in
USB C saves you one of those "flips" to get the connector to insert into the socket.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:02PM (4 children)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:09PM (2 children)
He's an idiot pedophile, ignore him.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:20PM (1 child)
Where's your proof?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @12:47AM
Scribbled on a pizza box.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @02:39AM
USB always takes at least one flip. One of the rules of the universe that is as old as time itself is that the first time you try to plug in a USB plug it is always upside down, especially when you check that it was right-side up first. It is right after the rule about buttered toast and right before the one about cats' feet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @11:21PM
Just be careful not to cut yourself on USB-C#.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:33PM
usboost++ will fix that...
(Score: 2) by helel on Friday September 24 2021, @03:42AM (1 child)
Communism
noun
Anything Republicans don't like.
"I wanted to pick up some groceries last night but the store was already closed. Looks like nothings safe from communism these days."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @03:30PM
"Time to gut social services to incentivize losers to work harder"
F(inished)TFY
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:34PM (26 children)
Walk through virtually any American home and you will see power outlets. The same outlets. A clear cut case of communism!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:45PM (19 children)
Speaking of which, you know American power outlets could use some minor redesign. The big issue is to make it impossible to touch the metal prongs while they are energized and the plug is being inserted or removed. Somehow the British have managed to solve that problem if I am not Miss. Steakin'.
Anyone who has seen how Macintosh computers of the 90s powered their CRT monitors would understand what I mean. There is a way to design the "male" connector with a shield around the metal prongs, and design the "female" to have a cutout "trench" around where the prongs go in, such that the shield fits into that trench. This could be designed in a way that old plugs on existing appliances would still plug in to the new outlets. The only drawback is that devices with the new plugs could only plug in to the new outlets without an adapter.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:08PM (8 children)
Not needed. Hundreds of millions of Americans use these outlets every single day, how many are getting fried from them? The way they are now is working just fine. Like our combined hot-and-cold water taps. You british seem to think your water would be poisoned if you combine the hot and cold water into the same tap, but the rest of the world is getting along just fine with combined taps.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:47PM (7 children)
I am not British. Americans might be less uptight if they watched Benny Hill at high school age.
A few years back, I learned why the British are afraid of mixing hot and cold taps. There was an actual concern, at one time, which is no longer a concern. I don't remember exactly, and I'm sure you could google it. [totalsoftwater.com] But IIRC, it was something like the hot water heater had standing water, or something like that, and it could get bacteria. That was long ago. Cold water was safe for drinking and cooking. But hot was only for bathing. From what I remember, it is no longer a concern. Yet the behavior persists. Anyone with more detailed (or accurate) knowledge feel free to correct what I wrote.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:46PM (2 children)
You still haven't quantified your "big issue", jackass. Still waiting.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:45PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @12:30AM
Think of the children?
(Score: 5, Informative) by MostCynical on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:50PM (3 children)
in the UK and in Australia, hot water was often stored in a non-pressurized cistern in the roof, and hot water was only gravity fed to the taps in the house.
The plumbing standards said no mixing taps, as the pressurized mains could flow into the hot system (backwards) and because the 'still' water could flow back into the mains.
Either way there were problems - cisterns could grow mould, but the pipes on the 'cold' side could also corrode from the hot water, or you could have no warm water in your 'hot' pipes from the pressurized cold water flowing through your hot pipes (no one likes a cold shower)
Easier and safer to make them separate until they join at the tap - so you need two open taps and a blocked outlet/faucet/shower rose to cause cross-flow.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @12:20AM (2 children)
Easy solution: clean the pipes regularly.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday September 24 2021, @04:35AM (1 child)
doesn't help the pressure side preventing/blocking warm water flow..
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @03:32PM
I suggest a gentle back and forth action. Females seem to be able to master it by about 19.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:53PM (1 child)
AKA circumcised vs uncircumsized yes yes I'm familiar with the under the desk plumbing. Women clearly like apple products, which as you explain are circumsized, so I guess we have an answer to which is better.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:03PM
I have to admit that I am surprised I hadn't thought of that and made some joke of it.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:17PM (1 child)
Shhh....if the manufacturers of electrical devices hear you, we'll wind up having to rewire every building in the world.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:26PM
I wasn't suggesting any rewiring or voltage changes. Just start using new outlets. Then some years later start putting new plugs on things which plug in to those outlets. But the old plugs would still work on the new outlets.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by epitaxial on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:59PM
Let me tell you about old radios with a "hot chassis". Depending on which way the plug was inserted the metal chassis could be at live voltage potential. They got away with this by using plastic cases and knobs.
(Score: 2) by Rich on Friday September 24 2021, @01:06AM (4 children)
No need to redesign the standard. An outlet could be conceived that has a sprung shell around the holes. Because it will be impractical to have the shell extrude for as long as the prongs are (danger of break-off), the shell might just poke out 5 mm or so and close a contact when it is pushed in. Probably already exists. Or maybe not, because RCBOs are cheaper.
The idea of having half-coated prongs was invented at Braun (the famous design HiFi company) and from there found its way into the Europlug. I think the US prongs are too short for that sort of trick, but the English pride them of having the safest plug in the world (those with integrated fuse and switch, because of their obscure house-side ring-wiring) and use half-coating too. (However, anyone who ever has stepped on one such plug will reject the idea that it is safe...). For something entirely sane, I think Brazil has the lead, closely followed by Switzerland.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @09:42AM (2 children)
Looking at pictures, what makes Brazil's better than Australia's? Is it the round vs flat pins?
They both have plugs that cannot be inserted the wrong way when earthed, but Australia's cannot be inserted the wrong way even when using unearthed double-insulated plugs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @03:34PM
Flip, flip, flip. That's the sound of an Australian plugging something in.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Rich on Friday September 24 2021, @11:01PM
It's the compact size for the Brazil and Switzerland varieties. A single wall-position can take two (or even three) plugs. Otherwise most of the Europlug-compatible varieties would do as well.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 25 2021, @04:58AM
They have plugs with plastic covers over the top prongs. The major problem with them is that there are enough ungrounded US devices that they have to be designed so putting something in the left hole opens the shutter on the right and vice versa. This makes them both prone to shutters failing and difficult to open. Knowing about the problems and complaints in advance results in many (most?) electricians avoiding them where they aren't required by code.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:49PM (1 child)
While I'm at it, there is another elephant in the room about modern American power outlets.
Almost everything we plug in to most outlets these days are low power DC devices. Even our big screen TVs. The only major exceptions seem to be motorized appliances, or appliances with major heating elements.
It seems that AC is very good for power transmission and distribution up to a building. But DC is what electronics crave.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @02:45AM
So keep a few storage batteries (your choice of chemistry) charged with some solar panels, and run separate DC wiring around your house...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:50PM (3 children)
Yeah,... and they mostly don't have those same outlets in the European Union. Go figure.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:32PM
Maybe they learned from that (pre-EU legacy) mistake?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:53PM (1 child)
Looking at a map of voltages by country [wikipedia.org], the US and Canada seem to be in the minority at using 110-120 volts. Most of the rest of the world uses 220-240 v at 50 Hz, and a few at 60 Hz.
Also remember a lot of the US and Canada are sparsely populated.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @09:46AM
So when you cram more people together the voltage goes up? By that metric, Australia should be running on about 9 volts and Antarctica several millivolts.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:29PM
> C is for Communism
I thought C is for cookie, that's good enough for me . . . [genius.com]
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:41PM (1 child)
Are you kidding? LOL the EU is *constantly* mandating stuff like this. This is comparatively one of the more reasonable ones they've come up with, compared to Right To Be Forgotten and...the 2 or 3 other ones that I can't immediately remember, that generally makes anybody outside the EU's life more difficult for dubious "rights."
If regulation is communism, then we need more communism in the U.S.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @12:24AM
Straight bananas was what did it in for the British.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by lars on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:25PM (12 children)
Standards change, before they wanted to make it microusb. What if we got stuck with that? Two standards isn't hard. I could see the reasoning when all phones had different connectors, but they are pretty standard now. Even if the physical standard remains the same, we still have compatibility issues between Quick Charge and USB PD, not to mention their subsets.
I've not used the apple connector, but it seems like it does not suffer from the problem of not working well if not inserted until it clicks. It has long pads on the male side that make it seem to me like it does not have the issue of not working well as dust builds up in the female side preventing full insertion. I'm always having to clean out my USB C female connector to fix charging problems.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:33PM (1 child)
I wouldn't have a problem with two standards that would leapfrog each other, say every ten years.
But I would have a problem allowing a specific manufacturer (eg Apple, or others) to have their own standard.
So today the two standards could be, say: USB B Micro, and USB C.
Tomorrow USB C would be the old standard, and something else (USB D?) would become the new standard.
Even if you mandate a single standard, eventually a newer superior standard will emerge thus creating the situation I just described.
But imagine if one standard could be the top standard for ten years, and then the older obsolete standard for another ten years. Most people would be happy to be able to not have to replace cables, chargers, multi-port chargers, battery packs, and countless accessories for up to twenty years.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday September 24 2021, @03:29PM
Apple doesn't even have a standard amongst Apple products!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:36PM (9 children)
I don't see why that would have been a problem. Microusb worked just fine. It continues to work fine for the devices I still have that uses it. It would have continued to work fine if all portable electronics were required to continue using it.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:52PM (1 child)
Ugh. can't say I agree with this. Besides being delicate they do NOT plug in nearly as nicely as the lightning connector does. USB-C is a huge improvement, but even that's missing some of Apple's solid clickiness. I seriously can't wait until all the microusb shit is out of my house.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @12:38AM
It may not have been the best but it got the job done. Being stuck with it would have been an extremely petty "problem".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:11PM (5 children)
YMMV.
I've had multiple devices with wonky microusb sockets that I have had to jiggle the cable each time to verify it's actually charging.
mini-usb seemed far more robust.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:38PM (4 children)
Yeah, and I've got a USB-C phone that's a few years old now with the exact same problem. You *look* at it wrong and it comes unplugged because there's no friction holding the sides of the plug in place anymore.
Other than that issue, and hence the pain of charging it, the phone is fine. The battery doesn't last as long as it used to, but if I could trust that plugging it in at night would result in a 100% charge each morning I'd keep using it.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @11:46PM (1 child)
Wireless charging seemed really stupid to me until I started using it. It's very nice to just set the phone on a pedestal and never worry about cables at all.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday September 24 2021, @03:32AM
Yeah, I apparently managed to wind up with the last phone model that *didn't* have wireless charging. Then when I did some searching online, of course I ran across a dozen wireless chargers "well just plug it into the USB port"
oh thanks so fucking much
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @12:27AM
There's got to be an analogy with husbands here... nope, can't find it.
(Score: 2) by lars on Sunday September 26 2021, @02:03AM
Try cleaning it out? I use a sewing needle. Cut the tip off, used a torch to remove the hardness and bent a very stubby L shape onto the end. You'll be amazed how much compacted crud builds up inside them. I'm surprised it isn't a youtube category next to pimple popping.
(Score: 2) by lars on Saturday September 25 2021, @06:48PM
It is slow, needs an adapter to work in usb host mode, not reversible. Sure it works, but so does serial.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by looorg on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:27PM (13 children)
Please tell me they didn't specifically name USB-C in the legislation. I don't want to be stuck with that port for decades to come cause some muppets wrote a piece of legislation where they named a specific port by name. It is probably ok now but not in a decade. They already, previously made fun of here at SN, wrote EU legislation which talks about and mentions specific software and hardware solutions as modern and secure, while today being nothing of the sort.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:36PM (11 children)
Yeah, I would have preferred DB-25, looks more robust
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @07:55PM (9 children)
It has been a very long time, but from the specification, if I can rememberize from that long ago, doesn't the power on a DB-25 Serial allowed to be anything from 3 to 25 volts?
Thus to be compatible, if you're going to draw power, you need to work on as little as 3 volts, but tolerate up to 25 volts. But if you're going to provide power, you probably should provide 25 volts.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:08PM (4 children)
Yeah, and you will need a pretty big phone too
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:14PM (1 child)
Nope,... all you need is a separate adapter dongle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:22PM
This forthcoming legislation has already been dongled!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:57PM (1 child)
Where did a phone come in to the picture?
The only DB-25 that I know is a 25 pin connector that was once widely used for serial communication (RS-232) between a central processing unit and a decwriter. (or crt terminal if you were lucky) This was back in the days when you had to turn the cpu's crank by hand.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:46PM
Oh, I don't know... the headline in the story maybe?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Friday September 24 2021, @12:37AM (3 children)
The RS-232 voltage levels in a DB-25 connector are supposed to swing from a positive to a negative level, I think as high as 25 volts, with respect to ground.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 25 2021, @02:22AM (1 child)
Depends on which revision you are using. It is supposed to use -15 to -3 or +3 to +15 (with -3 to +3 undefined but usually considered to be latched to the old state). Below -15 volts or above +15 volts is not a valid RS-232 signal but must be tolerated to ±25 volts without failure to be compliant with the specification. However, a later revision (D) required DB-25 and raised the allowed signal levels to +25 volts but what you got was dependent on the actual hardware because not all DB-25s were RS-232s and not all "RS-232" devices were not actually compliant with the specification.
(Score: 2) by drussell on Saturday September 25 2021, @03:10PM
Exactly... DB-25 ≠ RS-232
The D-sub (D-subminiature) connectors themselves from decent manufacturers like Amphenol are rated for a maximum voltage of 1000 Vrms.
What voltages you're using depends entirely on the application. D-sub connectors have been used for many different things.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 27 2021, @05:32PM
Thank you. I was going from memory long, long ago.
Maybe you heard of Timbuktu Remote? During development, I had two stacks of modems on a work table. The two stacks were identical. It was really a single stack of pairs of modems. High speed (eg, 9600 bits per sec) modems back when these cost up to $3,000 each or $6 K for a pair. They were on permanent "loan" to us from the manufacturers. It seems our application (which I was developing) had them all excited about selling modems.
There was a problem with most of them. They were highly optimized for throughput, but NOT for latency!
In a GUI screen sharing app (think VNC, but in the late 1980s on Mac), latency is important. Screen sharing is highly interactive. If I move the mouse pointer and hover over some control, I need to see the control "highlight" (eg some pixels change) in a fairly short time.
In the process of working on this, I got an education on RS-232 and DB-25 connectors. I asked and the company bought me a nice break out box.
Hayes (remember them?) came out with a high speed modem (14.4 Kbps) that was optimized for latency as well as throughput. And it cost much less. Guess what customers mostly bought?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Friday September 24 2021, @12:33AM
I like those Cinch-Jones [duckduckgo.com] plugs. Nice big metal surfaces. Apple should be forced to use one, say with 6 or 8 contacts, as the charging port on the iWatch.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:39PM
They probably referred to the relevant ISO standard number, whatever that is.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Thursday September 23 2021, @08:56PM (2 children)
So, if you're into switching power supply autopsies, you could do worse than watching my bro diodegonewild on youtube. At least I find his USB charger autopsies interesting.
The relevance to this discussion is the majority of shitty USB power supplies are regular USB or USB-C and he rarely finds a dodgy charger sold for those annoying apple lightning connectors.
I think your best bet at a working charger that won't burn your house down or electrocute you and your device is apple lightning and not usb-c.
Honestly there was a time when pretty much everything on amazon that was "usb-c" was absolute shite and untrustable.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:00PM
The solution is not to force everyone to switch to lightning, but to force manufacturers to make safe products that are sold to the public. If there is a safety issue, then it probably already violates some existing regulation.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 23 2021, @09:48PM
Apple runs a licensing program [wikipedia.org] that certifies only approved designs AND still forces the manufacturer to take liability unlike the USB certification that simply allows the use of the trademarked logo.
Now that USB-C is made law, the specification will be built into the legal requirements of the EU. And when you violate that, you won't face a licensing legal case from Apple, you'll face EU criminal charges.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday September 23 2021, @10:33PM (1 child)
...but isn't it based on the faulty assumption that the tech sector *wants* their consumers to be on one standardized port everywhere? What's to keep whoever it is who keeps making a new standard every 5 years from doing that again shortly?
Personally I never had that problem people complain about, taking 3 tries to plug it in the right way every time, so I would've been fine with staying on microUSB.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by KritonK on Friday September 24 2021, @12:08PM
No, it''s based on the assumption that the tech sector doesn't want their customers to be on one standardized port everywhere. Since they don't want this, they must be forced to do it via appropriate legislation.
Nevertheless, I'm sure there are ways for manufacturers to make more money by complying with this legislation. E.g., sell devices without a charger, as required by the new legislation, but without lowering the price (profit!), make sure that fast charging doesn't work on USB-C, then charge an arm and a leg for chargers that connect to some custom port (more profit!) where fast charging will work.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by Subsentient on Friday September 24 2021, @01:43AM (5 children)
I love how idiots here will argue over anything and turn anything, no matter how benign, into a political holy war.
USB-C standardization is Communism? What's sad is that I genuinely can't tell if they're joking anymore.
Eventually you'll all realize that all sides are full of shit, but by then it will be too late.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @02:55AM (1 child)
Here's [sciencedirect.com] something more constructive which can be done with nonstandard USB cables.
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Friday September 24 2021, @06:14AM
I like you. I like you a lot.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Friday September 24 2021, @01:59PM (2 children)
I lived in communism half of my life. I wish it was about having a standards. (And don't even get me started on some electrical and comms standards we had back then!)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 24 2021, @03:39PM
The standard is whatever Kim Jong-Un says that day. Easy.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Friday September 24 2021, @05:02PM
Well, you had standardized election outcomes, didn't you? :-)
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by corey on Saturday September 25 2021, @12:24AM
I like using the lightning connector a lot more than USB-C. It is simpler and more robust. USB has the centre home which gets dirt and dust covering the contacts. Also they are much smaller. I think the lightning connector is a superior physical design.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 26 2021, @09:43AM (1 child)
There's already a defacto fucking standard - USB-A at the plug (yeah, some are C-C, whatever). Why does it matter what's in the phone side?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 27 2021, @05:41PM
It should be USB-C on both ends of the cable. Thus the charger should also have USB-C instead of USB-A.
With USB-C, you can use either end of the cable, and plug that end in either way without (in theory) needing to flip it over to get it to fit.
USB-C chargers and devices negotiate the voltage (not current!). You can use a USB-C laptop charger on your phone, and the phone will fast charge, but only at the 15 watt rate the phone charges at. You can use a USB-C phone charger on the laptop, and the laptop will charge, but not at the 45 or more watt rate the laptop wants. The laptop displays a message that it is charging at a slower than normal rate.
There's not much price difference between a USB-C laptop charger and phone charger. So I just carry a spare laptop charger in my computer bag, and realize that I could use it on my phone any time. And have.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.