Nishant Chaudhary
The proposition, known as a directive, want all consumer electronics makers selling devices in Europe to include a USB-C port on all smartphones. That includes tablet devices, cameras, headsets, portable speakers, and portable handheld videogame consoles. The said “common port” will be a world first, affecting Apple because many of its devices use the Lightning connector rather than USB-C.
The European Commission attempted to resolve the issue in 2018, but it did not become law. Apple warned at the time that forcing the industry to use a standard charging port would stifle foster innovation and generate electronic waste as consumers switched forcefully to new cables.
As per the European Commission study, half of all charging cables sold with mobile phones had a USB micro-B connector. Out of which 29% had a USB-C connector, and 21% had a Lightning connector. The new directive is going to have many environmental advantages. The reduction of waste, convenience, and $293 million in annual savings for users are among them.
Furthermore, this same draft legislation also appealed to have the chargers listed separately from electronic devices. This is a step started by apple last year with the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch Series 6 models.
The European Commission intends to revise its eco-design regulations as well.
“We remain skeptical that tighter laws authorizing only one type of connector drive innovation rather than empowering it. This, in turn, will impact consumers in Europe and at every corner of the world. ” Apple said in a statement shared with Reuters about the same. Apart from that, the company’s other concern was the two-year transition period to move to USB-C, which recently came as a proposal.
Before it can become law, the EU Parliament and national governments should approve directives that may propose the amendments. The European Commission anticipates that this will happen in 2022. Companies will have two years from that point to transition to USB-C on their devices.
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