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posted by janrinok on Wednesday June 08 2022, @04:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the plugged-in-like-USB dept.

USB-C to be mandatory for phones sold in the EU by autumn 2024

The EU have agreed legislation, alternate link, forcing all future smartphones sold in the EU — including Apple's iPhone — be equipped with USB-C port for wired charging by autumn 2024. The rule will also apply to other electronic devices including tablets, digital cameras, headphones, handheld video game consoles, and e-readers. Laptops will have to comply with the rule at a later date.

The legislation still needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and Council later this year, but this appears to be a formality. In a press release, the European Parliament stated clearly that the law will be in place "by autumn 2024." By this date, all devices covered by the law and sold in the EU will have to use USB-C for wired charging.

EU Agrees Single Mobile Charging Port in Blow to Apple

EU agrees single mobile charging port in blow to Apple:

Apple (AAPL.O) will have to change the connector on iPhones sold in Europe by 2024 after EU countries and lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras in a world first.

The political intervention, which the European Commission said would make life easier for consumers and save them money, came after companies failed to reach a common solution.

Brussels has been pushing for a single mobile charging port for more than a decade, prompted by complaints from iPhone and Android users about having to switch to different chargers for their devices.

iPhones are charged from a Lightning cable, while Android-based devices use USB-C connectors.

Half the chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, while 29% had a USB-C connector and 21% a Lightning connector, according to a 2019 Commission study.

"By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU," the European Parliament said in a statement.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton said the deal would save around 250 million euros ($267 million) for consumers.

"It will also allow new technologies such as wireless charging to emerge and to mature without letting innovation become a source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience," he said.


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  • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @06:44AM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @06:44AM (#1251473)

    If I have an Apple phone, I buy an Apple charger or else I buy a USB-A to Lightning cable and use any USB-A charger.
    This is a complete non-issue.

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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by maxwell demon on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:11AM (2 children)

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:11AM (#1251483) Journal

    This is not the issue that the EU is trying to solve.

    Recently I forgot my Laptop charger. It's one of those power bricks with round connector. Each brand has their own specifications, so to get a replacement, I would have had to get exactly the right power brick. I decided to just limit my laptop use for that week, taking advantage of the laptop being fully charged before departure. With the new EU standard, new laptops will come with USB-C power. If that had been the case already with my laptop, I could have bought any USB-C charger in the next electronics shop. Or simply used my phone charger on the laptop.

    Which is a second problem that the EU regulation solves: Having separate chargers for all your devices. And after your device is end-of-life, the next device might need another charger, and your current charger becomes useless.

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @12:10PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @12:10PM (#1251512)

      The problem this EU regulation is addressing is that Apple lobbyists didn't cough up enough campaign contributions to EU legislators.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 10 2022, @04:07PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 10 2022, @04:07PM (#1252218)

        I mean, it seems they didn't, but honestly, I don't want diversity of charging port.

        At this stage, I get a bit angry any time something isn't just USB-C because I have a charging station with USB-C cables just sitting there, ready to charge anything that is, and if something is different, then I have to make an exception for it.

        I paid an extra $10 for the USB-C version of the headphones I have on my head right now, specifically to avoid this problem (that and the problem that USB-B isn't symmetrical).

        I remember how nice it was when the EU mandated micro USB-B and I could reduce my charging systems to just one, and I wasn't even in the EU. So I look forward to this.

  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday June 08 2022, @02:59PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 08 2022, @02:59PM (#1251548) Journal

    How many remember twenty years ago when every mobile phone had a different charge connector? Even different models within a single manufacturer.

    Expensive to replace, you hoped you never lost one.

    When packing for a trip, be sure you pack every single last charger you are going to need! Hope that you arrive back home with every single charger.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.