USB-C soon mandatory in Europe

This is not an iPhone. © iStock.

The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, has announced that it will require manufacturers of smartphones and other electronic devices to equip their products with a standard USB-C charging port. This regulation aims to reduce electronic waste by letting people reuse chargers and cables they already own when they buy new devices. Consumers will be systematically offered the option of purchasing new devices without an included charger. In addition to phones, the regulation will apply to other devices such as tablets, wireless headsets, portable speakers, portable game consoles and cameras.

This new rule will probably have the most impact on Apple, which continues to equip its phones with a Lightning port, as opposed to the increasingly universal USB-C port. “We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world,” said an Apple spokesperson to Reuters. Although it still uses Lightning, Apple has made its own efforts to reduce electronic waste. Last year, it stopped providing a charger with its iPhones. The decision was met with mixed reviews, as some believed it was more about the company’s bottom line than about the environment. To circumvent the regulation, Apple might choose to offer phones without ports, relying only on wireless charging instead.

⇨ The Verge, Jon Porter, “EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones.”

2021-09-22