The rule, which is the first of its kind anywhere in the world, will make the USB-C connectors used by Android-based devices standard across the 27-nation EU bloc, and will especially impact Apple Inc., the maker of the iPhone.
A total 602 lawmakers voted for the plan that was provisionally agreed in June between the European Commission and EU member countries. Thirteen members of the European Parliament voted against, and eight abstained. The rule, on which EU member states will still need to sign off, will likely become law at the beginning of next year.
“We are replacing this pile of chargers,” lead negotiator Alex Agius Saliba said in Strasbourg where the proposal was being debated, about a bundle of power adaptors. He then held up a single USB-C cable and said, “With just this”.
European Commission’s proposal
In October 2021, the European Commission had proposed USB-C as a common charging port to allow consumers to charge their devices with the same USB-C charger, regardless of the device brand. It also proposed unbundling the sale of chargers from the sale of electronic devices to limit the number of “unwanted chargers” purchased or left unused.
The proposal covers wired chargers — in case the device is only to be charged wirelessly, there is no compulsion to have a USB-C port in the device.
Rationale for the proposal
The European Commission had said earlier that on average, consumers in the EU own around three mobile phone chargers, of which they use two on a regular basis. Despite this, 38 per cent of consumers reported having experienced problems at least once. They said they could not charge their mobile phones because the available chargers were incompatible.
Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager told the European Parliament that the “common charger will simplify the lives of Europeans…No more obsolete chargers piling up in drawers, reducing costs for European citizens.”
The Commission added that consumers spend approximately €2.4 billion annually on standalone chargers that do not come with electronic devices.
The law is also intended to reduce electronic waste.
Impact on Apple
The new rules will force iPhone maker Apple to introduce USB-C ports on its devices. Given the value that Apple derives from uniformity in its production lines for markets across the globe, this could potentially result in Apple devices being changed for other jurisdictions as well.
It is noteworthy, though, that over the years Apple itself has been moving away from the lightning cable. It has already introduced MacBooks and iPads that use USB-C charging ports.
Also, it is rumoured that Apple has been working on a port-less iPhone that would be exclusively charged using a wireless charger.
Apple had initially complained that the proposed standardisation would stifle innovation.
