New Delhi : The European Parliament on Tuesday passed a provisional agreement on direct charging ports on consumer gadgets. According to the proposed law, all “small and medium-sized portable electronic devices” – including mobile phones, tablets, cameras and earphones – must use USB-C as a charging port, regardless of the manufacturer of the devices concerned. Yes, by autumn 2024.
The move gives companies — in particular, Apple — a little over two years to migrate to USB-C ports for their mobile phones. Laptops are also part of the new regulation, but it will take longer for laptop original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to comply with the new regulation. According to the provisional European Union (EU) agreement, laptop OEMs will have 40 months to fully migrate to USB-C ports before adopting the proposal into formal EU law.
The agreement also states that the charging speed offered by the OEM “should be consistent for devices that support fast charging, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger”. “
Describing the full list of additions to the new EU law, Alex Agius Saliba, the official coordinator of the European Parliament, said that the list of devices mentioned above includes “e-readers, keyboards, computer mice and portable navigation devices.”
“We’ve also added provisions on wireless charging, the next development in charging technology and better information and labeling for consumers,” Saliba said.
The rules for imposing a common charging port and standard for consumers have been in place for more than a decade. The legislative proposal for the Common Standard was tabled in Parliament on 23 September last year. The EU has also clarified that the law will not apply to devices that enter the market before they are formally implemented – that is, at the end of 2024.
An EU statement further said that the upcoming legislation could potentially save up to €250 million a year for consumers from “unnecessary charger purchases” – as well as cut 11,000 tonnes of e-waste annually.
Apple, which still uses the Lightning port in its iPhones, is likely to be most affected by the decision, although various reports from supply chain sources have claimed that Apple will soon be moving its iPhones to USB-C ports. likely to do. Apple’s 2021 iPhones, the iPhone 13 lineup, were tipped to use USB-C itself — but only launched with Lightning instead.
Apple has already migrated to USB-C ports for charging its iPad tablets and MacBook laptops, but its AirPods earphones still use Lightning. Beyond mobile phones, proprietary charging ports are still commonly used by laptop OEMs – which this new regulation may eventually integrate.
Apple could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
The EU move is likely to change the general course of the overall connectors, cable and accessories industry. A May report this year by statistics firm, Allied Market Research, estimated that the overall industry of connectors and cables would grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% to $114.7 billion.
“Buyers will also be able to choose whether they want to purchase new electronic equipment with or without a charging device,” the EU law states. This, in turn, could see greater reuse of chargers and charging cables – thereby slowing down the overall rate of shipment for them.