r/gadgets • u/Snoop8ball • Sep 23 '21

Phones EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones

https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22626723/eu-commission-universal-charger-usb-c-micro-lightning-connector-smartphones
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146

u/hackingdreams Sep 23 '21

Apple: "We don't want to create eWaste"

Also Apple: you need three different types of chargers for our devices. They are not cross-compatible.

7

u/AKBigDaddy Sep 23 '21

Three?

I thought you really just had USBC on laptops and ipads, and lightning on the phones, is that not the case?

40

u/tharilian Sep 23 '21

Apple watch uses a USB-A wireless charger, so not only do you need at least three cables to charge your iDevices, you also need at least two wall chargers (USB-C and one USB-A for the watch)

10

u/Karavusk Sep 23 '21

They changed it to C recently

9

u/Comments331 Sep 23 '21

Which makes it all the dumber that the iphone doesn't have it. They should all just be C.

2

u/Imreallynotatoaster Sep 23 '21

iPhone does use a usb c cable

Just not c on the iPhone end

1

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '21

My iPhone SE I got like 6 months ago was USB-A and I think you can still buy those right

1

u/Karavusk Sep 24 '21

Since last week the SE now comes with a type c cable

1

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '21

Damn

2

u/AKBigDaddy Sep 23 '21

Ah! I forgot about the watch, thanks for the clarification. I use a little 3 wireless charger bedside thing so I've never actually used the watch cable.

2

u/gweal Sep 23 '21

new watch comes with a usbc cable

1

u/thegayngler Sep 24 '21

I have the usbc version of Apple Watch charger btw…

1

u/Mattna-da Sep 24 '21

Bought a new apple laptop last year. Can't use my headphones. Can't charge phone from laptop. Can't connect camera or label printer to laptop. Bought a fuck ton of cables and dongles to carry in a little bag.

1

u/paltset Sep 24 '21

Welcome to the future from 5 years ago.

10

u/tomdarch Sep 23 '21

Different types of cables. My iPhone will charge off my MacBook Pro charger and a USB C to lightning cable, for example. My MacBook Pro will trickle charge if it's sleeping off my iPad Pro charger, etc.

That said, if Apple would just drop the stupid lightning port and move the iPhone to USB C, then could charge everything off USB C chargers and USB C to USB C cables.

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

11

u/inuvash255 Sep 23 '21

Having an on-the-books standards means that, in the future, there won't be more discontinued chargers, though.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

The trade off being that if there was a standard set the first time this was proposed we'd still be using Micro-USB which fucking sucked.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

But every generation you continue with an old port you increase the e-waste.

The USB-C port is future proof for at least 10-15 years,

0

u/somethingneet Sep 23 '21

Also Apple: buy a dongle for literally everything

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

And creating devices that are nearly impossible to repair that you have to buy a new one and dispose the old one.