EU decision may force smartphone manufacturers to adopt same charging interface

According to Reuters, the EU will study whether it needs to take action to promote manufacturers to adopt common standards. The European Commission has long required equipment manufacturers to develop uniform standards.

EU officials pointed out that the reason for requiring uniform interface is because more than 51,000 tons of e-waste generated by the eliminated chargers, at the same time, different chargers also bring inconvenience to consumers. However, it is too early to say what action the EU will take, but the European Commission may pass laws to force manufacturers of equipment sold in the European market to adopt uniform charging standards.

This may force Apple to abandon the Lightning interface and instead choose another standardized option, such as USB Type-C. Alternatively, Apple can produce a standalone model for this market that is compatible with the EU’s choice of uniform charging standards. Of course, at this point, almost all Android manufacturers voluntarily turn to USB-C. Not only that, but some rumors suggest that Apple may also consider this option.

In 2009, 14 companies signed a voluntary agreement, basically agreeing to unify the charging standards of new smartphones, including smartphone giants such as Apple, Samsung, and Huawei. These manufacturers agreed to adopt microUSB ports as 2011. The charging standard for the device.

Obviously, Apple devices don’t use microUSB, and the tech giant has replaced the old 30-pin interface with the Lightning interface. The agreement expired in 2012, and Apple did not take any action. Margrethe Vestager, EU’s director of competition, said she was dissatisfied with the “status quo” of manufacturers making changes on their own.

On August 1st, Vestager said in response to a question from an EU member of parliament: “In view of the unsatisfactory progress in this voluntary participation, the European Commission will soon launch an impact assessment study. Evaluate the costs and benefits of different options.”

In other words, the European Commission will conduct a study to analyze whether it is necessary to agree on the charging port of the mobile phone. In addition, the European Commission will also analyze the impact of various potential initiatives.