The EU is forcing Apple to switch to a USB-C connection on the iPhone

by time news

The EU has announced that the makers of the various devices have exactly two years to switch to a standard USB-C connection. A blow to Apple? Not sure

Source: Unsplash

Although last night (Monday) was a festive day for Apple with a host of announcements as part of its WWDC development conference, today it seems that Apple may have a little less smiles. The reason: a new step by the European Union.

IPhone with USB-C connection

After contacts that lasted no less than a decade, a special EU committee announced today (Tuesday) that it has reached an agreement according to which all electronics manufacturers will have to use a uniform charging connection – a USB-C connection. Among the devices included in the union’s initiative can be found in the first stage digital cameras, tablets, portable consoles, digital book readers, headphones, and in the next stage also laptops.

Thierry Burton, a representative of the committee that dealt with the regulation of cargo, denied that the move was aimed at any company and argued that the union is working for consumers and not against companies. Despite this, Apple is the main maker that is expected to be affected by the new binding agreement. Apple has been insisting for years on continuing to use its proprietary Lightning connection and not switching to USB-C, even though all other smartphone makers have done so, and even Apple itself has switched to using a USB-C connection for charging on some iPads and bottles.

The decision now needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council – but apparently it is only a formal step. Once the agreement enters into force, the various manufacturers will have to replace the charging connections in their various devices by the fall of 2024.

Environment and consumers

The main considerations that led to this move were the reduction of waste and harm to the environment involved in purchasing more and more cargo, as well as the desire to save consumers money. This way, consumers will be able to purchase one charger that will charge many devices, instead of needing different chargers for each device. According to the EU, European consumers will be able to save 250 million euros that they spend every year on “unnecessary” purchases of cargo. In addition, the move will save more than 11,000 tons of e-waste each year.

However it is not certain that Apple will really be affected in the long run by the decision. First, stubborn reports and rumors suggest that the company has already decided to incorporate USB-C charging in iPhones to be launched next year; But the general direction of Apple and the iPhone is the abandonment of wired connections – similar to what the company did with the headphones. In that case, Apple will allow charging of the iPhone with only wireless chargers – and thus you will be able to bypass the new decision.

For the sake of consumers? Not sure

Seemingly, this is an important first-class consumer step. After all, no one will miss the days of “who has an iPhone charger”, and Samsung and Apple chargers will live side by side like in a Disney legend. But the question is whether the regulator, in this case the EU, has not gone one step too far? Yes, it’s a proprietary Apple connection, and no one’s sure that it’s benefiting from consumers’ need to buy accessories from it. But if a particular company has better or more advanced technology, will it now have to align with other manufacturers and use an inferior standard? What, then, would be the interest of companies in investing in research and development, if in the end they would have to compromise on inferior technology just because most manufacturers use it? In general, who will determine which technology will be the binding standard? And what market share will make a particular technology become the standard? And why not let the market determine?

Yaniv Avital

Giktiim website editor. Do you have an idea for the article? A secret tip? leak? Waiting for you at[email protected]

wpDiscuz

Tags for the article:

You may also like

Leave a Comment