Wednesday, October 26th 2022
Apple Begrudgingly Agrees to Comply with EU USB-C Charging Mandate
During The Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference, Greg Joswiak—Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing—begrudgingly said that Apple will comply with the European Union's USB-C charging mandate. He said that Apple has been in a "little bit of disagreement" with the EU over the change to a common charging standard. He made a comment about the fact that the EU initially wanted to standardise on micro USB for charging, but admitted that it never happened. He also claimed that neither USB-C or Apple's own lightning connector would exist today if micro USB had been mandated as the charging standard over 10 years ago, which may or may not be true.
According to Greg Joswiak, Apple feels that their change to chargers fitted with a USB-C port is good enough, since it allows anyone to plug in a USB-C cable into Apple's chargers and charge whatever device they like, regardless of the device connector. However, he conveniently forgot to mention that for such a scenario to work, everyone would have to carry a charging cable around with them, the part most people forget about. He also claimed that moving to USB-C means additional e-waste, due to a billion plus lightning cables being in the market already. The argument doesn't seem to hold though, as it's not as if current Apple device owners are just going to throw out their current devices, because Apple is being forced to move to USB-C. The same holds true for most people who have micro USB devices, they didn't throw them away just because they got some USB-C devices. In fairness, the Lightning cables would end up as e-waste at some point in the future, but so do many old cables of every single type over time. Apple would've preferred the EU not to interfere, as the company believes its solution is superior to USB-C for its customers.
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
According to Greg Joswiak, Apple feels that their change to chargers fitted with a USB-C port is good enough, since it allows anyone to plug in a USB-C cable into Apple's chargers and charge whatever device they like, regardless of the device connector. However, he conveniently forgot to mention that for such a scenario to work, everyone would have to carry a charging cable around with them, the part most people forget about. He also claimed that moving to USB-C means additional e-waste, due to a billion plus lightning cables being in the market already. The argument doesn't seem to hold though, as it's not as if current Apple device owners are just going to throw out their current devices, because Apple is being forced to move to USB-C. The same holds true for most people who have micro USB devices, they didn't throw them away just because they got some USB-C devices. In fairness, the Lightning cables would end up as e-waste at some point in the future, but so do many old cables of every single type over time. Apple would've preferred the EU not to interfere, as the company believes its solution is superior to USB-C for its customers.
66 Comments on Apple Begrudgingly Agrees to Comply with EU USB-C Charging Mandate
Thanks UE for right laws like this...
I mean it seems pretty sensible. If micro USB had been made standard, who would have made USB C? How would it have gained traction? It's not like it could have propagated into the ecosystem with such a rule in place.
Companies release new phones with new ports during the transition period and boom, you have traction. Not that customers had a choice in phone charging port anyways, EU regulation or otherwise.
There are only positives by moving to an industry wide standard.
3.0 micro without the add-on conductor is impossible - and using all the conductors was a complete cluster for phones (so if you are totally redesign the connector, you might as well build a future into it)
so at this point apple still bitching about Micro shows how backwards their brain is still working
Doesn't change that I hate lightning, but there you go.
It would be awesome though e.g. if Apple was a private company, and tmk anyone in EU wanting an iPhone could readily get it imported anyway.
If there was any common sense at Apple they would have picked an industry standard..................or if they came up with something they think is better (like lightning) then they should have made it a royalty free industry standard. Even Apples new chargers (several years old now) are usb-c
It's ridiculous having 5+ cables all with a usb A end and all the others with different ends.
Just pick one and agree on it and make less e-waste.
What I really want to update to? A Linux smartphone that just works.
I have iPhone 14 1TB Pro Max.
I doubt they'll make a 2TB model till the 16 or 17th.
How about the battery slowdown? You would think saving something as simple as saving a gif on a IPhone would exist out of the box. It does not. How about every update resets the retarded autocorrect? How about every lightning cord we have replaced at least once and yet I still have C cords that work beautifully on my Samsung work phone? How about the annoying fact that I can't open my own God damn photos without a intrusive BS icloud notification, twice. How about their older models with limited memory and no micro SD card despite other manufacturers figuring out how to put it in the same slide as your SIM? How about ITunes wanting a update every time I use it? Why is it that I can sync my Samsung media to my PC over wifi and then stream it easily but not apple? How about dem Bluetooth and Apple Car play oddities, even with newer vehicles?
Nah brah, take the apple flavored plug out and realize they all have issues.
English... how not to like ?
On the topic... what's the point of forcing the use of type C connector and how does it improve our life?
There'll never be 'the perfect connector'; and as demonstrated, even when we get 'close', something will come in an complicate 'a good thing'.
All that said (and being that we're already 'down this road'), can't say I disagree in standardizing USB-C.
With 240W USB-PD now possible, even mobile workstations and desktop replacement laptops can be USB-C powered.