Mar 22
EU’s Targeting Apple By Trying To Unify Chargers, Again | PLUGHITZ Live
The European Union (EU) is trying to standardize a charger once and for all. With this, the EU aims to eliminate electronic waste; Is it the right path?
The European Union (EU) is trying to standardize a charger once and for all. With this, the EU aims to eliminate electronic waste; Is it the right path? This has been happening for quite a while now, so it’s normal that people are still speaking about it.
With some supporting this action and some, like Apple fighting hard against it, the opinions are clearly mixed. Want to learn more about the current situation between the EU and Apple?. Keep scrolling through!
What’s Happening?
The EU’s regulations require that all phones should be able to charge via a universal charger, like micro-USB or USB-C. When this original regulation came out, the only big manufacturer that didn’t bend to use a micro-USB charging port was Apple.
Having micro-USB ports allowed phone-owners to swap between brands and styles without spending money on new chargers and disposing of the old ones. On the other hand, Apple argued that its Lightning connector gave its devices features that the micro-USB didn’t provide.
This was one of Apple’s key points in its negotiations with the European Union, allowing them to find a middle ground. However, things have changed in the industry, leading to some adjustments in the EU’s regulations.
The EU Plan
The EU decided it was time to fix and update the regulation-making the USB-C port the standard. But not everything went as expected. The European Commission (EC) and the industry couldn’t find a middle ground to benefit every party involved and the consumers.
Since this happened, the EC has been taking a legislative approach, mandating cooperation instead of voluntary participation. And this time, Apple won’t avoid the regulation that easily. This regulation states that “devices will be required to use a USB-C port under the new regulation, rather than being able to charge over USB-C.”
Does This Regulation Affect Apple?
Bluetooth is now the typical way to connect any phone to any speaker or other gadgets, even TVs if you want to. And being objective, Apple doesn’t make much use of the Lightning connector for anything special that USB-C couldn’t do.
Apple’s been moving towards a portless future — relying entirely on wireless technologies, like the Apple Watch. So, this legislation could potentially speed up that transition.
However, that regulation affects the innovation spirit, not only for Apple but also for everyone who might want to create better ways to share data. The EU’s regulation might be for a good purpose; however, there are other ways they can accomplish their goals without limiting developers’ and manufacturers’ innovation.
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