SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
BBC: UK will not copy EU demand for common charging cable
The UK government says it is not "currently considering" copying European Union plans for a common charging cable.
The EU has provisionally agreed all new portable electronic devices must, by autumn 2024, use a USB Type-C charger, a move it says will benefit consumers.
[....] Under the current post-Brexit arrangements, the regulation would apply to Northern Ireland, according to EU and UK officials.
[....] Since the EU's announcement, it had been uncertain if the decision could affect Apple products sold in the UK and other non-EU countries in Europe.
But a UK government spokesperson has told MailOnline: 'We are not currently considering replicating this requirement.'
[....] This complicates things for Apple; the firm might have to make devices with USB-C ports to sell in EU countries and Northern Ireland, as well as making devices with a Lightning ports to sell in the UK and other non-EU countries.
To simplify things, Apple could just opt to make devices with USB-C ports in the whole of Europe.
9 to 5 Mac: UK won't follow EU in demanding iPhone replace Lightning with USB-C
[....] However, many are awaiting the arrival of a USB-C port to match their other devices. Apple's Lightning port is already 10 years old and was previously dubbed as the "modern connector for the next decade." According to this notion, it seems inevitable to see Lightning retired soon.
[....] The pressure to switch to USB-C has been mounting on Apple for some time. It's no surprise the EU has made this decision. Could we see more regions do the same? With Lightning being a decade-old port, many are going to grow tired of the lack of a USB-C port on their iPhone.
Or, another idea: Apple could standardize on USB-C?
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. Don't forget every single charger when packing for a trip!
See Also:
USB-C to be Mandatory for Phones Sold in the EU by Autumn 2024
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 14 2022, @01:37AM (5 children)
Considering the UK gets cars manufactured for their market that have right hand drive AND MPH speedometers, I think it is a big enough market to cater to those "fools".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 14 2022, @03:59AM
driving on the left is common in many parts of the Commonwealth, excluding Canada.
Aren't most speedometers digital these days? No crazier than having to adjust for US units when the rest of the world, generally, adopted metric decades ago.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RedGreen on Tuesday June 14 2022, @04:04AM (2 children)
"Considering the UK gets cars manufactured for their market that have right hand drive AND MPH speedometers, I think it is a big enough market to cater to those "fools"."
It is left hand drive when you drive on the left part of the road. My count of the jurisdictions in the world that do it were 57 as listed on this page, plenty enough for a market excluding they had their own car companies making them from the start. Something they do not have with the one size fits all approach Apple and the Android phone manufacturers take, Apple just happens to get screwed for their proprietary solution and get to use what the vast majority of phones and other devices use to charge.
https://international-license.com/blogs/news/in-what-countries-you-drive-by-the-left-side-of-the-road [international-license.com]
Those people are not attacking Tesla dealerships. They are tourists showing love. I learned that on Jan. 6, 2021.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 14 2022, @06:08AM
Steering wheels are normally on the opposite side as the direction of traffic. Therefore, left-hand traffic has right-hand drive and right-hand traffic has left-hand drive. The UK is a left-hand traffic jurisdiction with right-hand drive. The EU is mostly right-hand traffic with left-hand drive.
(Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Tuesday June 14 2022, @06:10AM
Nope - that is left hand traffic. Cars in the UK are right hand drive because it refers to the position of the steering wheel and driver's seat in the vehicle:
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday June 14 2022, @08:38AM
Every car I've seen has both mph and kph as an option, just as they have y-m-d and d-m-y as options. With speedo dials it's just a bit of plastic that's selected, whether you're selling to Canada or the US.
Japan and India are other major RHD markets, it's not just the UK that's the market.
But the crucial part is you can't really sell a LHD in the UK/Japan/Australia etc - its either RHD or don't sell. To reach the whole market you need to have both options.
You can however sell a USB-C phone in the UK, so why would you bother making both USB-C and non-USB-C.