Euro-nannystate to impose charger standards on mobile devices

[garublador]

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that Apple, probably the company here who comes closest to meeting the intended spirit of the law here, may stand to the be one penalised the most heavily?

Isn't the Lighting connector proprietary? That's the opposite of standard. They'd have to make it standard for it to be anywhere close to the spirit of the law (everyone using the same connector).

Also,

Anyways, the article is misleading. It is not referring to the part which plugs into your phone, but the side which plugs into your wall charger.

That's not true. They're clearly talking about the connector that plugs into the phone. Changing the USB A connector to a micro USB connector wouldn't make any sense. That would require pretty much all chargers to be replaced (the opposite of what they want) and wouldn't fix the issue of all the different cables being required to charge different devices.

I understand what the EU is getting at, but I'm not sure they're going to get there this way. I agree it will cause more problems than it will solve.

 

[A895]

Which is why I feel that before any body decides to settle on a single standard, everyone needs to first sit down, think this through properly, then come up with a cable which they are sure can at least meet the needs of the industry for the next 10 years. Then make everyone adopt that standard. Rather than just settling for whatever the standard currently is (and it's not even a great standard to begin with), especially when you know that it will probably be obsoleted in a couple of years (heck, I would argue that lightning already trumps micro-USB in terms of design and engineering).

Apple managed to do that with their 30-pin connector. They appear to be doing the same thing with their lightning cables, which even come with their own ram and processor (which could, in theory, allow Apple to patch their cables via their iOS devices to support any standard that appear in the future). This is foresight, and more importantly, this shows that it can be done, just that no one else is doing it, probably because it is simply cheaper and easier to just go with whatever the industry standard is at the time (or fork them if necessary) than invest money and resources into actually properly designing one of their own.

IMO, this is a classic example of the cure being worse than the disease.

If the market does not demand it now and does not need it, it makes sense to change it? Micro USB is a wide standard and everyone can support but special proprietary ports like lightning hurt more than help. Remember the hoopla when Apple changed it from 30 pin? When a standard is in use for a while a large variety of options in accessories and support open up, but to use something that might have a license fee would be crazy. Prices might increase in accessories, we might see an increase in devices because of the possible license needed to use such a proprietary port.

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[abazigal]

Isn't the Lighting connector proprietary? That's the opposite of standard. They'd have to make it standard for it to be anywhere close to the spirit of the law (everyone using the same connector).

That's not true. They're clearly talking about the connector that plugs into the phone. Changing the USB A connector to a micro USB connector wouldn't make any sense. That would require pretty much all chargers to be replaced (the opposite of what they want) and wouldn't fix the issue of all the different cables being required to charge different devices.

I understand what the EU is getting at, but I'm not sure they're going to get there this way. I agree it will cause more problems than it will solve.

It confused me for a while over at Ars Technica, where I am also following a similar thread.

If you ask me, now that I think about it, standardising the micro-USB part which plugs into the device makes no sense, especially when you consider that companies like Samsung are forced to modify the micro-USB port precisely because it could not charge their tablets quickly enough.

I am not tech-savvy enough to fully follow the conversation, but this is what I can gather. They are referring more to standardising the wall charger. Do correct me if I am wrong though.

EU votes in favor of universal mobile charger | Ars Technica

 

[abazigal]

If the market does not demand it now and does not need it, it makes sense to change it? Micro USB is a wide standard and everyone can support but special proprietary ports like lightning hurt more than help. Remember the hoopla when Apple changed it from 30 pin? When a standard is in use for a while a large variety of options in accessories and support open up, but to use something that might have a license fee would be crazy. Prices might increase in accessories, we might see an increase in devices because of the possible license needed to use such a proprietary port.

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People making noise about the migration of 30-pin to lightning is precisely why in these situations, I am glad that Apple has a reputation for ramming through whatever they believe is right, even if people may make a lot of noise now, because I think that hindsight will show that Apple has done the right thing. They did an admirable job in making the 30-pin cable last as long as it did, and now, it is time to move on and see how best to tackle the next 10 years (i.e.: lightning).

That's the problem - people only looking and caring about the here and now, without considering if micro-USB can continue to meet their needs in the future, and even so, for how long? I am not saying that the industry necessarily has to license lightning, but if they are going to adopt something like USB3.1 (which is at least reversible), can the committee responsible for developing it also take the time and care to future-proof it as well?

 

[garublador]

It confused me for a while over at Ars Technica, where I am also following a similar thread.

Then why is Apple being singled out? No one uses a micro-USB connector on the wall side of the cable. They all use a standards A type USB connector. It doesn't make any sense to use a micro USB-OTG connector on that side (which you'd need if you used a micro USB connector) because it will never be a device. The whole point is to reduce waste, not generate more by making all current chargers non compliant.

 

[abazigal]

Then why is Apple being singled out? No one uses a micro-USB connector on the wall side of the cable. They all use a standards A type USB connector. It doesn't make any sense to use a micro USB-OTG connector on that side (which you'd need if you used a micro USB connector) because it will never be a device. The whole point is to reduce waste, not generate more by making all current chargers non compliant.

I am not sure either. I am now facing 2 conflicting accounts, and am not sure which to believe...

 

[JeffDenver]

There is a MicroUSB 3.0 standard, and 3.0 devices can still use 2.0 cables and connectors. The formfactor is backwards compatible.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – USB 3.0 and microUSB compatibility | Mobile Fun Blog

 

[JeffDenver]

Which is why I feel that before any body decides to settle on a single standard, everyone needs to first sit down, think this through properly, then come up with a cable which they are sure can at least meet the needs of the industry for the next 10 years.

They did. Micro USB is it. It's backwards compatible and already used on a majority of devices.

This is why marketshare matters. Marketshare determines standards. This is the entire reason I have been cheerleading Apple's demise as the market king...I don't want their unnecessarily expensive products to become the standard.

MicroUSB is cheap and it works on any device.

 

[JeffDenver]

If you ask me, now that I think about it, standardising the micro-USB part which plugs into the device makes no sense, especially when you consider that companies like Samsung are forced to modify the micro-USB port precisely because it could not charge their tablets quickly enough.

They do not have to choose...they can have 3.0 Micro USB that also supports 2.0 cables. 2.0 will still charge your tablet, it will just be slower. MicroUSB3.0 gives you backwards compatibility in case you need to use a 2.0 cable for some reason. Apple did not give us that option with their cables...you just had to upgrade.

I am not tech-savvy enough to fully follow the conversation, but this is what I can gather. They are referring more to standardising the wall charger.

I don't think so. Because the entire point of this nannystate legislation...the EU wants to reduce eWaste. Requiring adapters creates more of it.

 

[mrsmumbles]

They do not have to choose...they can have 3.0 Micro USB that also supports 2.0 cables. 2.0 will still charge your tablet, it will just be slower. MicroUSB3.0 gives you backwards compatibility in case you need to use a 2.0 cable for some reason. Apple did not give us that option with their cables...you just had to upgrade.


I don't think so. Because the entire point of this nannystate legislation...the EU wants to reduce eWaste. Requiring adapters creates more of it.

It sounds like a good idea but the intention is very often different from the result when governments impose regulations.

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[A895]

It sounds like a good idea but the intention is very often different from the result when governments impose regulations.

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The result is pretty good considering consumers can end up with a standard charging and data port across all mobile devices.

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[JeffDenver]

It sounds like a good idea but the intention is very often different from the result when governments impose regulations.

The EU does this with everything though. This is completely normal for them. So if you have to have an imposed standard, I'd rather it be MicroUSB.

- - - Updated - - -

One other advantage of USB 3.0...it will now be really easy to see which side is the "up" side now heh heh

 

[mrsmumbles]

The result is pretty good considering consumers can end up with a standard charging and data port across all mobile devices.

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Until, as another poster pointed out, the technology might grow in an unexpected direction and is put on hold until the govt gets around to new regulations. Usually the market system works very well at deciding successful technologies and allowing for rapid innovation.

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[Ry]

I've seen this argument in other places, and it does make sense so here goes.

Micro USB will only support USB 2.0, it will not support USB 3.0 as currently implemented on mobile phones. Also, Micro USB won't supply the power needed to charge a device like a 10" tablet. I'm not saying an entirely new connector is needed, but I don't think Micro USB, as it is right now, is the answer. Now, the Micro-size USB 3.0 connector INCLUDES a Micro USB segment that I THINK can be utilized on its own, for power and USB 2.0 speeds. That connector may be a bit unwieldy for phone purposes though.

While I agree that we shouldn't have to go hunting for the correct cables to charge our devices, or buy proprietary wall-wart chargers, I'm not sure there is a good standard currently available to fit the needs of cell phones and tablets, without licensing a design from Apple (if they're even willing to do so). I like what the EU is TRYING to do but I agree with the argument that Micro USB is becoming antiquated, slow and the connector itself could be improved upon at this point.

I also don't see the point in what the EU is doing, pretty much every phone EXCEPT Apple is using Micro USB for charging/data. Tablets are a whole other story, my Acer A500 uses a proprietary barrel plug for power but will sync to a computer using USB (Micro on the tablet end).

How so? Doesn't that new HP Chromebook charge via micro USB?

 

[A895]

How so? Doesn't that new HP Chromebook charge via micro USB?

Right you are. Its a little slower but it can be charged with micro USB.

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[Unicorn Rancher]

was a law imposed to unify the fuel pump nozzle and aperture design in cars

Didn't they do something like that during the transition from leaded gasoline?

 

[George Jenkinson]

Didn't they do something like that during the transition from leaded gasoline?

I'm in the UK and as far as I know, there was a change to differentiate pump nozzles and car apertures to avoid filling an unleaded car with what was called 4star (ie leaded) in the UK. To my knowledge, there wasn't legislation and car manufacturers/petrol stations didn't make different nozzles/tank apertures as was the case with chargers and phones.