The European Union has announced that from 2024, USB Type-C standard connectors will be required to charge various devices sold. It seems to have caught the attention of the media as much as the more important announcement of its new Digital Markets Act that would interfere. Market power of big tech platforms including Alphabet, Apple and Meta. Probably a factor as to why they’re doing so poorly.
This mandatory charging connector standard will cover fifteen categories of products, most notably Apple’s iPhones, which currently use the firm’s own Lightning connector. USB-C is the standard 6 for electrically connecting and powering small devices Android-based smartphones, Apple’s MacBooks, and many other devices already use USB-C connectors.
According to Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Single Market, the change will save consumers € 250 million ($ 275) by having a charger for all their portable electronics, but the benefits of conserving electronic waste are exaggerated. Economist Note that these savings are only € 1 per two years for EU citizens; A mutated cut of 1,000 tons per year in unobtrusive electronics sounds impressive, but represents only 0.002% of the global figure; And life-cycle C02 emissions are less than being carried out by a single Boeing jet, saving 9000,000 tons in Europe.
The incompatibility is between plugs and wires, not in charging electronics. Many chargers, including Apple, have disconnected and interchangeable charging wires.
These proposed regulations would hinder the development of global markets and the adoption of advanced technological solutions.
Mandatory values introduced with the best intentions may last longer than are beneficial. For example, the French-introduced SCART standard for connecting TVs, VCRs and DVD players and the corresponding 21-pin connector have long held its usefulness. The SCART connector first appeared on TV in 1977. It has become mandatory for new TVs to be sold in France since 1980 and in Eastern European countries, including Poland since 1987. The requirement was not revoked until July 2015, 35 years after the introduction. The use of standards has always been much less common outside of Europe.
The obvious requirement for SCART sockets অথবা or indirectly so that identical products can be sold in different countries সম্ভবত is probably included in this connector but never used in tens or millions of devices. This has led to many years of unnecessary product design clutter and costs due to the widespread implementation and popular use of other standards, including the proprietary HDMI standard, including the annual shipping of millions of devices annually since the mid-2000s. I bought a TV in the UK in 2009 and 2012 — each with two large SCART sockets that I never used because of the wide range of HDMI standards. The cost of electronic waste must have been substantial due to the inclusion of unnecessary SCART sockets.
There is a spontaneous appeal to royalty-free licensing implementers with standards such as USB, which was introduced a decade ago by Apple’s proprietary Lightning Connector that paves the way for easy-to-use and utility access to power charging connectors. Less than my perfect vision – especially in dim light – it often took me several uncomfortable attempts to plug-in a micro-USB plug before I was sure I got it right. Fortunately, USB-C standard plugs are just as reversible as Lightning plugs. However, USB-C connectors are larger than Lightning connectors in a design environment where a small increase in size can be a significant limitation.
As wireless connections for communication as well as charging are increasing, the need for physical electrical connections is decreasing.
While plugs and sockets are still needed on small portable devices such as smartphone tablets and PCs, design issues such as size, weight, waterproof, easy and secure attachment and disconnection (such as using magnetic connections) are much more significant than the latter. Television. As a result, the ongoing need for replacement not only complements obsolete standards with innovative improvements, but also more important and urgent.
Competition between technology, companies and business models usually brings out the best. Although the combination of power charging has some obvious potential advantages and seems to be a relatively small space for EU intervention, the decision that sclerosis is likely to occur sets an otherwise problematic precedent in a dynamic market. If other major countries do not adopt the EU’s chosen standardization, product market segmentation may increase rather than decrease globally.
Subtle consideration is important in design and competition. An official order for a specific standard that is royalty-free compared to other standards, as well as proprietary solutions that would create a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory royalty for their manufacturers, annoyingly hinders open innovation, customer choice, proper principles of market competition. And business model neutrality.