Ten years. For ten years now, the highest European authorities have been fighting with the tech giants so that they all adopt a single charger on all their devices. After having tried the gentle way (without results), the European Commission will move up a gear as of Thursday, September 23, 2021.
On this date, she will unveil a proposal for a directive requiring Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Oppo and others to provide a universal charger with their new devices, including smartphones.
According to Les Echos, this directive will then be examined by the European Parliament and the European Council bringing together all the states. More precisely, this directive will oblige manufacturers to equip all electronic devices with at least one USB-C port in order to guarantee that all chargers can be interchanged.
While it seems obvious that this project will concern smartphones, these devices will not be the only ones concerned. Tablets, PCs, speakers, headphones, cameras, all electronic devices except e-readers will be affected by this change.
One charger to rule them all
With this unique charger, the European Commission is part of an ecological approach branded for ten years. Every year, nearly 50,000 tonnes of unnecessary magazines are thrown away she believes.
By imposing a single charger, the Commission also wants to make life easier for consumers. Also, electronic products will no longer be sold automatically with a charger in the box. An approach already initiated by some manufacturers such as Apple or Samsung but which still lacks consistency, Apple opting for a Lightning connection, Samsung for USB-C.
The American company has already taken a firm stand against such a directive. She believes that imposing a single charger on the market is a brake on innovation and that this measure is not ecological since millions of users would be forced to change charger.
This argument has repeatedly been dismissed by European authorities who believe thatApple is the only manufacturer not to adopt USB-C on its iPhones and AirPods while all the others have mostly integrated it into all of their products, including more affordable ranges.
The directive of September 23, 2021 should therefore resurface this old disagreement. Apple seems visibly aware of its fate since the manufacturer is gradually equipping its various products with USB-C ports. The iPad mini 6, just announced, is for example equipped. It remains to say goodbye definitively to Lightning on the iPhone and AirPods. According to the latest rumors, the iPhone 14 should adopt the USB-C port. Wait and see.
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
