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The European Commission (EU Commission) recently passed a proposal that in the future will require all mobile phone manufacturers to use USB-C for charging and not include a charger in the box. This is mainly for two purposes. One is to reduce the total amount of e-waste and avoid “consumer inconvenience”; and the other is to allow consumers to choose chargers more freely without being tied up by mobile phone vendors. die. In addition to mobile phones, this proposal will also extend to tablets, cameras, earphones, portable speakers and handheld game consoles.
But to be honest, the overall direction of the industry is already moving towards the direction of USB-C dominating the world. Although there are still Micro USB devices, most of them are older or low-end products, and the number is gradually decreasing. . The only thing this new specification can really limit, seems to be Apple’s Lightning devices, which have approximately 20% of the European market.
In this regard, Apple had already protested as early as the beginning of last year, saying that standardizing the charging port would “impede innovation.” According to an Apple spokesperson to the BBC, their opinions in this regard have not changed. However, having said that, Apple is at the forefront of removing the charger from the box, and some iPad products have also been converted to USB-C charging. Therefore, in terms of practical actions, Apple is not as close as the EU. Big conflict.
The EU sold about 420 million mobile phones and other portable electronic devices last year. According to Bloomberg, this means that 12,000 tons of chargers are discarded every year. At the same time, consumers will go to 2.4 billion euros to purchase chargers, indicating that even if the mobile phone manufacturers have included them, consumers will still prefer to buy chargers that meet their needs. This proposal is submitted to the EU’s legislature and government to vote, and if passed, it will be implemented in two years.