At some point, you've probably gone to plug in one of your newly purchased gadgets and thought to
yourself, why doesn't everything just use the same charger as you struggle to jam in the connector
the right way? Well, you're not the only one. In fact, so many people have had this frustration
that the European Union itself is looking to force electronics manufacturers to use
USB-C and only USB-C for charging. So what does this mean for the future of electronics?
Let's start out by looking at what the EU's new proposal actually covers. Mobile phones, tablets,
headphones and headsets, portable video game consoles, portable speakers and digital cameras
are all in there. So most small electronics designed to be taken with you are covered,
but laptops are notably absent, as are very low-power devices like earbuds and smartwatches,
since these devices have charging and use characteristics that are quite different
from the list of covered devices. And the proposal also leaves out products that don't
rely on charging, so don't expect to see any USB-C-powered hair dryers, although that would
be really cool. Now, as cool as it sounds to have a single charging standard for all your mobile
devices, why is the EU trying to force it through? I mean, even though USB-C isn't universal,
the industry is, for the most part, moving in that direction already. And it's not like
there are a whole lot of other charging connectors out there other than micro USB,
which is disappearing, and Apple's Lightning, which is still just holding on.
You can't kill me! Well, according to the EU, 38% of consumers have said they've had issues with
not having compatible chargers for their phones when they needed them, with 2.4 billion euros
spent every year on extra chargers. The EU has gone on to say that the situation has resulted in
a ton of e-waste, more like 11,000 tons every year. So it's not a huge leap for the EU to think
the solution is to settle on just one charging standard. And not only that, the proposed law
will also mandate that gadgets that support fast charging will use the standard USB power delivery
protocol in order to reduce confusion between different fast charging standards. The goal
is to make it possible for users to get the same charging speed across a wide variety of chargers,
and also to get information across to the consumer more clearly. A strategy that is clearly seen in
the USB implementer's forums' latest table about which USB logos to use. Now, each charger sold
must state both a minimum wattage as well as information on any fast charging protocols it
supports outside of the standard USB power delivery. And unsurprisingly, the law will also
seek to reduce the number of chargers that are included with electronic devices by forcing
manufacturers to sell versions of their gadgets without an included charging brick, which is one
thing that Apple is a step ahead of them on. Now, as I hinted at a second ago, there's a giant
Apple-sized elephant in the room, and you've probably already figured out that Apple, with its
proprietary lightning connector, is fighting tooth and nail against the proposed law. The company
raises the point that the law would only make the EUA situation worse by rendering a huge number
of existing lightning-only accessories obsolete. But their position is undermined somewhat by the
fact they asserted the rule would stifle innovation. I mean, maybe, but we're talking about charging
here, and not many people use cables to transfer data to and from a phone anymore. And when we do
need to, USB-C is more than capable of handling it. Of course, Apple owns not only the lightning
protocol, but also MagSafe for wireless charging. And this has led some to speculate that at some
point in the near future, Apple may just skip USB-C completely and go straight to a portless
iPhone with wireless charging only. The proposed EU law doesn't cover wireless charging at all,
so it would, at least for the time being, get them out from under the EU's watchful eye.
But wireless charging is, for now, still significantly slower than having the phone plugged in,
so Apple might be at a competitive disadvantage if they do decide to go this route.
But although the law is set to cut e-waste, it might not make a huge dent in the problem,
as the EU is only expecting a reduction of a thousand tons per yearâ¦ chump change.
And if we advance beyond USB-C at some point, we might have to do this all over again
with another change in the law, as the directive says nothing about a post-USB-C world.
We have to go to zombie movies for that. If the EU doesn't act this proposal,
which is expected to happen in 2022, each national government will have two years to make it law,
and electronics manufacturers will have the same amount of time to switch their charging ports
over to USB-C. Fingers crossed, this will end up being a model for the rest of the world.
If we can't agree on what shape our power outlets will be, well, maybe we can at least agree on this.
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