A Common Charger for All Phones? The European Union Is on the Case
The EU wants to make it easier to charge your cellphone. The proposal could save thousands of tons of electronic waste, but previous measures have fizzled. https://t.co/lSLqzeuAmx
- NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) January 17, 2020
The European Parliament wants to introduce and pass regulations that would demand for a universal charger that would be compatible with all phones, tablets, e-books and any other portable device, regardless of brand. This would impact Apple most since they use a proprietary Lightning charger for a good portion of its products, such as the iPhone.
Wired chargers have been estimated to produce more than 51,000 metric tons of waste annually in the European Union alone. “Demand grows and with it waste and exploitation of natural resources,” said Roza Thun und Hohenstein, a member of the European Parliament from Poland. “We are drowning in an ocean of electronic waste. We cannot continue this way.”
Last January, Apple objected by saying, “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.”
On its own, Apple made minor adjustments by moving away from the Lightning charger on the 2019 version of the iPad, moving to the USB-C port used on MacBooks. USB-C and micro-USB are also used on Android devices.
Wireless charging has also steadily begun to increase in popularity, which may help some users cut wired charging to some extent. But that in itself presents other problems and e-waste.
Read more at the first source.
Had @Apple abided by the letter of the industry voluntary agreement of 2009, and not introduced #Lightning in 2012, much of this discussion would be unnecessary. Nevertheless, the ambition should be a common #charger for devices with similar power requirements, not only phones. https://t.co/eK4kgRUEw5
- ANEC - Raising Standards for Consumers (@anectweet) January 17, 2020
Wow. Imagine a world with a universal charger - end of #cablespaghettihttps://t.co/FZGPvOM14c pic.twitter.com/slStWbUTfc
- Gill Farrington (@gillfarrington) January 17, 2020
Sources: 1 | 2 | 3