The U part of USB will soon be one step closer to reality after a move by European lawmakers on Tuesday to force Apple and its rivals to all use the same charging ports for their handheld devices.
The European Parliament voted 602-13 to mandate USB-C charging ports for all handheld electronic devices as early as 2024.
The law is believed to be the first in the world designed to standardize charging ports for things like laptops, cameras, mobile phones and other gadgets. Today, most manufacturers use a version of the USB standard, which stands for Universal Serial Bus.
Apple famously doesn’t, opting to use its proprietary Lightning port for most devices in its ecosystem.
Under the new law, any electronic device sold in the European Union must use the USB-C standard by 2024. Laptops will have two more years, until 2026, to adopt the new style.
A win for consumers
Alex Agius Saliba, the 27-nation bloc’s chief negotiator, says the new law will be a win for consumers and the environment.
“We’re replacing this stack of chargers,” he said, holding up a handful of cables, “just this,” he said, showing a single USB cable.
This mess of cables is more than just an inconvenience for consumers; The European Union estimates in a research paper that the standardization of loading ports could reduce 250 million euros (about 338 million dollars) of e-waste caused by outdated hardware.
Business analyst Dan Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities, says the move is a “clear opportunity” for Apple, which has fought the change every step of the way.
“Clearly, the EU is on the warpath on this issue,” he told CBC News in an interview.
Banning old chargers would have had a disproportionate impact on consumers and the environment, Saliba says, which is why the blog is trying to hold manufacturers responsible for phasing out older products.
Most manufacturers already use some version of USB, but Apple doesn’t. Half of chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, while 29% had a USB-C connector and 21% had an Apple Lightning connector, a 2019 EU-sponsored study showed .
The company started using USB-C for some of its laptops in recent years, and is reportedly working on a version of the iPhone that does the same.
Apple has previously argued that a move to standardize chargers would create more e-waste, not less.
Technology analyst Carmi Levy says that Apple is likely to start using USB-C technology for all of its devices as soon as possible. “It’s going to be an efficiency move,” he told CBC News. “Easier Supply Chain at a Time of Supply Chain Challenges.”
Don’t expect the company to try to make multiple versions of its devices to comply with various regulations around the world. “In short, this will affect consumers in Canada, the US and all other major markets where Apple is currently active,” he said. “If other countries decide to follow the EU’s example, it will be a mainly ceremonial gesture.”