EU Wants Phone Makers to Standardize Charging Ports, Which Could Be Bad News for Apple

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Image: Apple

Due to the abundance of charging methods on today’s market, European lawmakers are moving ahead on a proposal for ending the cocktail of connectors utilized by modern smartphones, such as USB-C and Mini USB. The regulation hasn’t entered the voting stage yet, but if it were to pass, tech giants could be forced to adopt a “single universal charging method.”

This would be an obvious win from a convenience standpoint, in that users would only have to concern themselves with one charger and/or cable type. European Parliament members are also arguing that the regulation would cut down on the vast amount of electronic waste generated per year (“51,000 tonnes”), which is “hugely detrimental for the environment.”

The proposal shouldn’t be an issue for Android manufacturers because many of them have switched to the increasingly popular USB-C standard, but it would pose a bit of a problem for Apple. That’s because iPhone devices utilize Lightning, a proprietary power connector. Apple would have to switch to another type of port (USB-C, probably) or, as suggested by the BBC, drop charging ports entirely and opt for wireless charging.

Apple isn’t happy about the proposal and submitted the following feedback to the European Commission, which can be viewed in full on its official site:

“Apple stands for innovation. 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.”

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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