Bye bye lightning.... HELLO USB-C || Long-awaited common charger for mobile devices will be a reality in 2024

[darknessblade]

Summary

Following Parliament’s approval, EU consumers will soon be able to use a single charging solution for their electronic devices.

 

Quotes

Quote

By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.

 

Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they purchase a new device, as they will be able to use one single charger for a whole range of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices.

 

 

Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.

 

 

My thoughts

This is nothing but good news, 1 charger for them all. No need to find a adapter just because your DC5.5-2.1mm charger does not work with your new laptop that uses DC5.5-2.5mm. With USB-C, there is no need for these issues anymore.

 

As for phones, With apple being the only one to still not use USB-C. and trying their hardest to make it impossible to use any other charger than a "Apple" Certified charger

 

The only downside would still be Apple, using software to block/ {try and void your warranty} if you use a 3rd party charger. [they are already giving near useless warnings if you use a "Unofficial" charger with your Iphone.] So I hope the next step will be the banning of such warnings/blocks, Just to fool people into buying a "Official" charger they do not need, if they already own a "100W charger"

 

Sources

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220930IPR41928/long-awaited-common-charger-for-mobile-devices-will-be-a-reality-in-2024

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63132831

https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/10/04/iphone-must-use-usb-c-by-2024-says-eu-law

[GuiltySpark_]

Got excited, thought this was worldwide. I feel like we knew this was happening in the EU already.

 

More waiting.

[WhitetailAni]

So, do y'all remember when iPhones switched from 30-pin to Lightning?

Back then there were 5 models of iPhones in the world and they were relatively new.

Now there's been almost 10 years worth of time to produce buttloads of Lightning accessories, plus iPhones are a lot more popular and more widespread.

 

Do we really want to kill all those off?

[porina]

15 minutes ago, darknessblade said:

[they are already giving near useless warnings if you use a "Unofficial" charger with your Iphone.] 

Is this a new thing for iPhones? I have a ~3.5 year old iPad mini which is up to date in OS, and it has never warned me about power source. I do use MFi cables if that matters.

[LAwLz]

2 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

Got excited, thought this was worldwide. I feel like we knew this was happening in the EU already.

 

More waiting.

I think it was only a proposal, or passed the draft before. Now it is actually official. But yes, we have had news threads about this like three times already. Just in different stages of the passing of the bill. 

 

 

I think it's good news. Before people freak out about losing MagSafe on their MacBook, please remember that the current MacBook are already compliment. This is not saying "no other standard is allowed". It just says you have to be able to charge the device with USB-C, which you can on MacBooks today. You are allowed to have multiple ways to charge. 

 

And before people scream about how this will get outdated and now we are stuck with USB-C forever, please remember that the legislation can and will be updated if a better standard comes along. It's not like we get new charger standards every other year either. 

It took Samsung like 2.5 years to start using it in their phones. Even IF the process of getting a new standard adopted in the legislation, it won't be an issue. 

Plus, I am sure the EU will fasttrack the chance if someone like USB-IF asks them. 

[WhitetailAni]

1 minute ago, porina said:

Is this a new thing for iPhones? I have a ~3.5 year old iPad mini which is up to date in OS, and it has never warned me about power source. I do use MFi cables if that matters.

if a cable is MFi certified that means it's Apple-approved. MFi warnings were added in iOS 7 I believe?

[Fasterthannothing]

Yay! Screw apple and their propriety crap 

[Commodus]

7 minutes ago, darknessblade said:

Summary

Following Parliament’s approval, EU consumers will soon be able to use a single charging solution for their electronic devices.

 

Quotes

 

My thoughts

This is nothing but good news, 1 charger for them all. No need to find a adapter just because your DC5.5-2.1mm charger does not work with your new laptop that uses DC5.5-2.5mm. With USB-C, there is no need for these issues anymore.

 

As for phones, With apple being the only one to still not use USB-C. and trying their hardest to make it impossible to use any other charger than a "Apple" Certified charger

 

The only downside would still be Apple, using software to block/ {try and void your warranty} if you use a 3rd party charger. [they are already giving near useless warnings if you use a "Unofficial" charger with your Iphone.] So I hope the next step will be the banning of such warnings/blocks, Just to fool people into buying a "Official" charger they do not need, if they already own a "100W charger"

 

Sources

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220930IPR41928/long-awaited-common-charger-for-mobile-devices-will-be-a-reality-in-2024

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63132831

https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/10/04/iphone-must-use-usb-c-by-2024-says-eu-law

You're exaggerating Apple's control and likely response here.

 

Apple doesn't try to make it "impossible" to use third-party chargers. It ships a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box for all its modern iPhones; it has long been extremely easy to plug an iPhone into a third-party charger without hassles, and it supports USB-C Power Delivery for fast charging. My wife plugs her iPhone into a third-party charger every day and doesn't get nagged about it.

 

I'm sure Apple has enjoyed the lock-in effect of Lightning. But it's not so vehemently opposed to USB-C that it would sour things by forcing you to buy first-party chargers and cables, especially not with the EU watching closely. Remember, Apple has been pushing USB-C and Thunderbolt 3/4 on Macs and iPads for years.

[porina]

6 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

if a cable is MFi certified that means it's Apple-approved. MFi warnings were added in iOS 7 I believe?

If someone says "charger", I'm not thinking about the cable, but whatever it plugs into. Do they have a mechanism to detect what is beyond the cable?

[OhYou_]

i REALLY hope apple just goes full magsafe and removes the charge port and sim card slot all together for EU models if not world wide.
I'm all for epic trolling

[Blademaster91]

This sounds like its for EU only, but still good news for using a standardized port instead of proprietary junk that uses USB 2.0 speeds.

But if this is EU only it sounds like what Apple did with the iPhone 14, North American models are e-SIM only and got a silly plastic block where the SIM slot goes, instead of something useful like a microSD card slot.

[NF-A12x25]

5 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

i REALLY hope apple just goes full magsafe and removes the charge port and sim card slot all together for EU models if not world wide.

that would also be illegal by the terms of this law I think

[NF-A12x25]

2 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

This sounds like its for EU only, but still good news for using a standardized port instead of proprietary junk that uses USB 2.0 speeds.

unfortunately it’s possible that their USB-C models will only support 2.0, but I doubt it. At any rate USB-C, even at 2.0 speeds, would still be a huge improvement from Lightning. Hopefully Apple just makes a full switch worldwide, or at least offers a choice between USB-C and lightning for non-EU customers. I imagine if they don’t EU iPhones will become a hot commodity in the US.

[Holmes108]

I don’t know about this. I realize standardization seems great on the surface, and this is definitely pro consumer, at least in the short term. But I’m not convinced regulation was the answer here (I rarely am, outside of absolutely essential services, tbh).

 

What about creating the next standard? How does someone invent the spectacular USB-D or whatever? Now we have to do that alongside the government? That sounds like a nightmare. If I'm able to create a new ultrathin device tomorrow, that's literally too thin for USB, I don't see the harm in a proprietary charger (I realize wireless would likely be the solution, but I don't know that it should be forced).

 

If this regulation existed years ago, we might all still be using mini or micro USB ports, which are all trash. It doesn’t seem unrealistic that this might hamper innovation to some degree.

 

Essentially, who's to say this format, in this moment, is the best version and the one that should be standard?

 

Edit: And for the record, I'm an Android user, and love USB C.

[WhitetailAni]

21 minutes ago, porina said:

If someone says "charger", I'm not thinking about the cable, but whatever it plugs into. Do they have a mechanism to detect what is beyond the cable?

No, only the cable as far as I know

10 minutes ago, NF-A12x25 said:

At any rate USB-C, even at 2.0 speeds, would still be a huge improvement from Lightning.

No...

A lot of the opposition against Lightning is because it's only USB2. People who buy iPhones tend to be fine with Lightning as a connector, but not with how slow it is.

[LIGISTX]

One thing a lot of people don’t realize with this… such laws stifle invasion. 
 

If this law existed 15 years ago, how would apple have ever invented lightning? And without lightning, where would USB C be today? The ability for companies to implement new tech in critical to forward success of technology. What happens in 5-10 years when the physical USB C port is no longer good enough for the data transfer rates required by future tech? Do we end up with 10-15 year old cables and connection interfaces simply because governments move way to slow?

 

Just something to think about… I am on board with the idea, common cables is not inherently a bad idea. But we need the ability to let companies implement new tech in a way that doesn’t bind them to governmental regulations… seeing as governments don’t understand tech and are vastly slower (on purpose) then tech companies are at adopting new policy.
 

TLDR; It’s not as black and white as people make it out to be. This could come back to bite us VERY hard in 5-10 years. 

[mike_seps]

22 minutes ago, NF-A12x25 said:

that would also be illegal by the terms of this law I think

How so?

 

"Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable..."

 

Make it Magsafe, it's now wireless, and no USB-C connection required.

[AlTech]

28 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

i REALLY hope apple just goes full magsafe and removes the charge port and sim card slot all together for EU models if not world wide.
I'm all for epic trolling

I'm pretty sure the EU added a clause in their bill saying that removing a charge port is not allowed as a workaround to the law.

 

In any event, even if they hadn't done that,  Apple wouldn't have made a special version for the EU, all versions likely would have been modified to meet the EU standards.

[darknessblade]

45 minutes ago, porina said:

Is this a new thing for iPhones? I have a ~3.5 year old iPad mini which is up to date in OS, and it has never warned me about power source. I do use MFi cables if that matters.

That does indeed matter, try using a NON-MFI charger/cable, and you will see the warning.

[AlTech]

3 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

One thing a lot of people don’t realize with this… such laws stifle invasion. 
 

*innovation.

 

The law that was just passed is meant to dynamically be updated over time according to what the USB IF do. If they come up with a new universal charging port or charging standard then that would be required.

3 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

If this law existed 15 years ago, how would apple have ever invented lightning?

The law exists primarily because Apple invented lightning.

 

Other manufacturers had come together and agreed to move from Micro USB to USB-C. Apple had already switched to lightning and once USB-C existed Apple didn't want to switch to USB-C for iPhones.

3 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

And without lightning, where would USB C be today?

Exactly where it is today because lightning is an inferior protocol not just in speed but also power delivery.

 

It uses USB 2.0 for data but lightning can't handle more than 29W of power.

3 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

The ability for companies to implement new tech in critical to forward success of technology. What happens in 5-10 years when the physical USB C port is no longer good enough for the data transfer rates required by future tech? Do we end up with 10-15 year old cables and connection interfaces simply because governments move way to slow?

Afaik the law says that the USB-C requirement is a moving target and that if the USB IF need a new charging port in the future then new devices can be forced to use that instead of USB-C.

3 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

Just something to think about… I am on board with the idea, common cables is not inherently a bad idea. But we need the ability to let companies implement new tech in a way that doesn’t bind them to governmental regulations… seeing as governments don’t understand tech and are vastly slower (on purpose) then tech companies are at adopting new policy.
 

TLDR; It’s not as black and white as people make it out to be. This could come back to bite us VERY hard in 5-10 years. 

Literally not possible unless the USB IF decide to do nothing for the next 5-10 years.

[OhYou_]

35 minutes ago, NF-A12x25 said:

unfortunately it’s possible that their USB-C models will only support 2.0, but I doubt it. At any rate USB-C, even at 2.0 speeds, would still be a huge improvement from Lightning. Hopefully Apple just makes a full switch worldwide, or at least offers a choice between USB-C and lightning for non-EU customers. I imagine if they don’t EU iPhones will become a hot commodity in the US.

if it will be illegal than are other wireless charge only devices, such as almost ALL smartwatches, all wireless earpods, also illegal now?

[tikker]

49 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

i REALLY hope apple just goes full magsafe and removes the charge port and sim card slot all together for EU models if not world wide.
I'm all for epic trolling

Except this law is exactly to prevent such shenanigans.

59 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

So, do y'all remember when iPhones switched from 30-pin to Lightning?

Back then there were 5 models of iPhones in the world and they were relatively new.

Now there's been almost 10 years worth of time to produce buttloads of Lightning accessories, plus iPhones are a lot more popular and more widespread.

 

Do we really want to kill all those off?

On the assumption that we actually manage to stick with USB-C for a good long time, I think it's ok. Existing stuff will remain working and fine, but for new stuff you now start creating that buttload of accessories for the market as a whole while now you'll still have Lightning with adapter for Apple and USB-C for the rest. There will be one more "thrashening" of the current Lightning adapters and devices, but I think that is practically unavoidable when switching/introducing standards. With the new USB4 standard it has also become quite the versatile little port.

35 minutes ago, Holmes108 said:

What about creating the next standard? How does someone invent the spectacular USB-D or whatever? Now we have to do that alongside the government? That sounds like a nightmare. If I'm able to create a new ultrathin device tomorrow, that's literally too thin for USB, I don't see the harm in a proprietary charger (I realize wireless would likely be the solution, but I don't know that it should be forced).

This gets you stuck in a perpetual "what if" cycle though. Besides that, I don't think thinner devices will be a practical goal. Practically every component is so thin already.

35 minutes ago, Holmes108 said:

If this regulation existed years ago, we might all still be using mini or micro USB ports, which are all trash. It doesn’t seem unrealistic that this might hamper innovation to some degree.

 

Essentially, who's to say this format, in this moment, is the best version and the one that should be standard?

USB-C has been worked on for a long time now and it has become an incredibly versatile port. We have charging up to 240 W over it, it can carry display signals and it has quite the bandwidth with 80 Gbps being the latest. I think (but I'll look for the quote) that these were big reasons why this attempt caught a fresh wind (they did actually talk about a standardisation like this in the past).

21 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

One thing a lot of people don’t realize with this… such laws stifle invasion. 
 

If this law existed 15 years ago, how would apple have ever invented lightning? And without lightning, where would USB C be today? The ability for companies to implement new tech in critical to forward success of technology. What happens in 5-10 years when the physical USB C port is no longer good enough for the data transfer rates required by future tech? Do we end up with 10-15 year old cables and connection interfaces simply because governments move way to slow?

 

Just something to think about… I am on board with the idea, common cables is not inherently a bad idea. But we need the ability to let companies implement new tech in a way that doesn’t bind them to governmental regulations… seeing as governments don’t understand tech and are vastly slower (on purpose) then tech companies are at adopting new policy.
 

TLDR; It’s not as black and white as people make it out to be. This could come back to bite us VERY hard in 5-10 years. 

I'm still not very convinced about the innovation arguments. Where has that innovation been? We had the innovation era which we knew as connector hell and after that we've been "stuck" with practically the same three connectors for a decade now: Lightning for Apple, USB for the rest and mostly barrel plugs for chargers. We are also not in the place where we were 15 years ago.

 

They're also not prohibiting other ports or technology. The mandate is about charging over USB-C using USB-PD. For the rest you are free to innovate what you want. As you say, it's not black and white and nobody can predict the future, but 240 W and 80 Gbps are pretty darn juicy and fast. I don't really foresee mobile devices requiring (much) more than that for the foreseeable future.

19 minutes ago, mike_seps said:

How so?

 

"Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable..."

 

Make it Magsafe, it's now wireless, and no USB-C connection required.

As far as I can tell they do not intent to allow pure wireless charging:

Quote

In order to achieve the ultimate goal of a common charger and as preconditions for impactful
and meaningful unbundling, the three supporting studies, which were conducted found that
radio equipment shall integrate: a harmonised charging interface at the radio equipment end
(the charging receptacle in the case of radio equipment charged via wired charging), a
minimum common interoperability of charging through a harmonised charging
communication protocol, and detailed information about charging requirements of the radio
equipment.

That would go against the harmonisation, although the way it is written does allow for the other interpretation...

[NF-A12x25]

Just now, OhYou_ said:

if it will be illegal than are other wireless charge only devices, such as almost ALL smartwatches, all wireless earpods, also illegal now?

…no? They’re not phones or laptops lmaooo

[OhYou_]

Just now, tikker said:

Except this law is exactly to prevent such shenanigans.

 

As far as I can tell they will not allow pure wireless charging:

 

wow another case of the EU ruining technological progression.
Wireless only phones will happen and I guess they just wont be sold there then LOL

[NF-A12x25]

 

Just now, OhYou_ said:

wow another case of the EU ruining technological progression.
Wireless only phones will happen and I guess they just wont be sold there then LOL

wireless-only phones are dumb as fuck lol