The European Commission (EC) is going to force smartphone manufacturers like Apple and other electronics makers to equip their devices with a standard USB-C charging port.
- EU lawmakers on June 7 agreed to a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras.
- It means equipment makers will have to comply with the new terms by 2024.
- The European Parliament announced that it reached a deal that would amend the Radio Equipment Directive and compel manufacturers to adopt the USB-C as the common charging port for a variety of devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras.
- In October 2021, the European Commission had proposed USB-C as a common charging port to allow consumers to charge their devices with the same USB-C charger, regardless of the device brand.
- It also proposed unbundling the sale of chargers from the sale of electronic devices to limit the number of “unwanted chargers” purchased or left unused.
- The proposal, however, only covers wired chargers and excludes wireless charging from its ambit, meaning that only if a device uses a cable to be charged will it need to have a USB-C port.
- In case the device is only to be charged wirelessly, there is no compulsion to have a USB-C port in the device.
- The legislation is designed to cut waste and make life easier for consumers who would theoretically be able to use one charger for multiple devices.
- It could have a huge impact on Apple, as the company still uses its own Lightning connector to charge iPhones.
- The new requirements will apply to only those products that are released after the law becomes applicable.
- Manufacturers will be given a grace period of 24 months after the law is published in the EU Official Journal.
About USB-C connector
- The USB-C connector was developed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF)(Opens in a new window), the group of companies that has developed, certified, and shepherded the USB standard over the years.
- USB-C is an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power on a single cable.
- Like Lightning and MagSafe, the USB-C connector has no up or down orientation.
- It’s more oval in shape and slightly thicker to accommodate its best feature: flippability.
- The standard cables also have the same connector on both ends.
- Perhaps the most useful protocol that a USB-C port can support is Thunderbolt 3, or the emerging Thunderbolt 4.
- Thunderbolt is the brand name of a hardware interface for the connection of external peripherals to a computer.
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