“Where’s my charger?” “
Here, use mine.”
“I can’t; it doesn’t fit.”
Have you ever lived out that scenario? If so, you’re not alone. In a world of Apple vs. Android, this generation vs. that generation, sharing chargers for electronic devices is often a no-go. And whose home doesn’t have a junk drawer now burgeoning with a tangled web of cast-aside cables?
The European Union is mobilizing over the frustrating issue. The bloc’s executive arm, the European Commission, announced plans Thursday to require the smartphone industry to adopt a uniform charging cord for all mobile devices and their accessories. Proposed legislation would mandate the use of USB-C cables for charging as well as for earphones and other attachments. Many device makers have already adopted that technology.
Not surprisingly, the main holdout against the move is Apple—the company that coined the slogan “Think different.” Apple says the new rules would limit innovation, and that would end up hurting consumers. Maybe. Or maybe it would hurt sales on the company’s own Lightning charging ports and cords that iPhones use. Maybe not, though. The newest iPhone models come with cables that can be plugged into a USB-C socket.
The EU push will certainly be cheered by the millions of people who are frustrated by inconsistent equipment. But the EU has another goal in this proposal: It wants to cut down on the 11,000 metric tons of electronic waste thrown out every year by Europeans.
The commission says the typical EU resident owns at least three chargers. Most use two of those regularly. But 38% of people report not being able to charge their phones at least once because they couldn’t find a compatible cord.
The early draft of the new rules also calls for giving consumers the right to choose whether to buy new devices with or without a charger. The EU estimates that will save consumers in Europe as much as $293 million per year!
“Chargers power all our most essential electronic devices. With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary. We are putting an end to that,” Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, says. “With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics—an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste.”
Companies will get two years to adapt to the new rules once they take effect. Apple says it shares the European Commission’s commitment to protecting the environment. But the tech giant questioned whether the proposals would help consumers.
“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,” the company said in a statement.
Breton denied that the new rules would slow innovation. He suggested that if Apple wanted still to promote its own type of connector, it could build in two ports on its devices to accommodate both a specialized cord and a standard one. Problem solved?
What do you think? Should governments get involved in standardizing equipment for private companies’ products?
(European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks about a common charging solution for mobile devices at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on September 23, 2021. AP/Thierry Monasse)
