To achieve a unified charging interface for mobile phones, Apple’s own Lightning connector is the biggest resistance.
Editor’s note: This article comes from Interface News , author Lin Beichen.
Image source: unsplash
On January 14th, according to foreign news sites Reddit and other media reports, the issue of unifying the mobile phone charging port was once again on the agenda at the European Union meeting held on January 13-16. In the future, Android and iPhone mobile phone charging interfaces may be unified.
In order to reduce waste and improve universal convenience, European electronics-related lawmakers have proposed that all smartphones, tablets and other portable devices be applied to the same charging port, such as the USB-C interface.
The European Commission mentioned in a briefing that some lawmakers want to adopt “binding measures” to unify the interface of all portable devices, rather than continue the previous “encouraging” approach.
The EU has always wanted technology companies to develop standardized solutions. As early as 2009, Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Nokia and other mainstream mobile phone manufacturers signed a memorandum of agreement, agreeing to standardize mobile phone charging ports in the future. However, 10 years have passed, and there are still no less than 30 types of charging interface types for various electronic products on the market. For this reason, the European Union pays for 51,000 tons of electronic waste each year. This part of electronic waste comes from interface products of electronic products.
Since the memorandum signed in 2009 was implemented on a voluntary basis, mobile phone manufacturers did not unify all interfaces during this decade, and only achieved compatibility on the USB connector. Therefore, the EU is considering legislatively to unify the interface of electronic products.
This means that the charging terminals of Android phones that were previously incompatible with the charging terminals of Apple iPhones must be unified, and the Apple charging port is likely to be replaced by the Android charging port.
Several common mobile phone charging interfaces on the market, picture: Daily Mail
At present, smart phone interfaces on the market are divided into two categories, one is the Lightning connector unique to Apple iPhones, and the other is the numerous interfaces for Android phones, including USB Type A, USB Type C, micro USB and other types. Among them, the USB Type C interface is respected because of its characteristics on both sides, and it is the most popular charging interface in the market.
If you want to unify the charging interface of mobile phones, Apple ’s own Lightning connector is the biggest resistance.
In 2019, Apple has stated in public that regulations that force all smartphones to use the same interface are a “frozen innovation” approach and are not desirable for the environment and customers. But there are rumors that Apple’s new iPhone launched in 2021 will use the USB Type C interface, which has not been officially recognized.
At present, there are more than 1 billion Apple devices using Lightning interface. Once the interface is replaced, a large number of related accessories will be eliminated when the machine is replaced.
This EU meeting is not over yet. The European Commission said that interface unification may still be implemented on a voluntary basis.