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European MEPs Back Single Charger Standard

posted by Dopefish on Saturday March 15 2014, @08:12AM   Printer-friendly
from the one-plug-to-rule-them-all dept.
lhsi writes "Members of the European Parliament have backed a regulation for all smartphone devices to use a standardized charger, a Micro USB connector being the favored type (and one that is in use already).

The regulation is still only a draft law and must be approved by Europe's council of ministers. However, that body has already given its informal backing to the law, suggesting it will win final approval.

European member states will have until 2016 to translate the regulation into national laws and manufacturers will then have 12 months to switch to the new design

The reason for this regulation is both to help consumers and to cut down on electronic waste (51,000 tonnes annually)."

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by blackest_k on Saturday March 15 2014, @09:43AM

    by blackest_k (2045) on Saturday March 15 2014, @09:43AM (#16841)

    having a common charger is useful usually someone in the 'office' will have a charger to fit your phone. I have no end of phone chargers from earlier phones that are no use to me anymore I guess I could throw them away luckily i find new homes for them eventually.

    my nokia chargers have been rehomed recently. Apple tends to be a pain as it seems to need different chargers for different versions of iPhone. At least 5 volts seems to be normal so its possible to have some simple adapters. At least while usb is around anyway.

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  • (Score: 1) by PapayaSF on Saturday March 15 2014, @04:03PM

    by PapayaSF (1183) on Saturday March 15 2014, @04:03PM (#16931)

    Apple tends to be a pain as it seems to need different chargers for different versions of iPhone.

    Huh? Unless I am mistaken, since the first iPhone in 2007, all iPhones have used one of a grand total of two chargers. In fact, I think only the port has changed, and it's the same charger with a different cable. I'll bet that the last seven years of phones from (say) Samsung have used more types of chargers and ports than that.

    I do wonder about the details of this law. Would Apple be able to comply by simply including an adapter to fit EU standard plugs into Lightning ports?