Recently, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a new regulation involving the electronic equipment industry with ,602 votes in favor and 13 votes against . However, this new regulation made Apple , which has always "pursued uniqueness", feel quite embarrassed.
Because according to this new regulation, starting from the end of 2024, all electronic products such as mobile phones, computers, etc. sold in Europe need to be adjusted to USB-C interface and equipped with corresponding chargers. This means that Apple has to give up using the special Lightning charging interface.
Of course, Apple can also choose to continue to "stand to be unique" and refuse to cooperate with European actions. However, the result of this is that it may lose a large-scale European market, and the cost is too high. It seems that Apple must bow its head this time.
In fact, this new move in Europe is not only aimed at Apple, but is aimed at all electronic manufacturers operating in European countries, such as Huawei , Samsung , Nokia , etc., and those operating in Europe must comply with this regulation.
, however, most mobile phone manufacturers have already made adjustments to the interface to meet the convenience needs of the public. Especially after , the European Commission first proposed to "unify electronic product interfaces" last year, many international electronic brands operating in the European market generally adjusted their products to USB-C interface.
Only Apple has always been independent and insisted on using the Lightning charging interface, but EU did not make Apple an exception, but instead decisively passed a resolution to force electronic devices to "change their ports" in the form of law. Now, if Apple wants to maintain its European market, it must "do things according to the rules."
According to the EU, unified the charging interface of electronic products will provide consumers with more convenience and reduce the waste caused by different charging devices of various models. According to relevant data, after the promulgation of this new regulation, it can save 250 million euros per year.
From an environmental perspective, this new regulation has indeed had a significant positive effect on reducing electronic waste, but the significance of this EU action brings far more than that. What’s more important is that this approach to unifying the model of interfaces has reduced the degree of industry monopoly, which is what Apple is really worried about.
For a long time, Apple has been deliberately pursuing "differentiation" in many fields due to its high product quality and industry reputation. For example, Apple's systems are all IOS systems developed by itself, but the system has been repeatedly accused of loopholes by consumers, such as upgrading the system may cause a decline in mobile phone performance.
Previously, more than 60,000 people in South Korea sued Apple, accusing it of knowing that upgrading the system would cause a decline in mobile phone performance, but deliberately concealed the news from consumers. Finally, under public pressure, Apple had to apologize publicly and promised to provide compensation measures such as free battery replacement.
However, even so, Apple's reputation has been falling repeatedly, and consumers' tolerance for some of Apple's "pursuing unique" practices is much worse than before. For example, on the grounds of "environmental protection", Apple did not include headphones and chargers for the electronic products sold under its .
In this way, when consumers buy Apple's electronic products, they also need to pay for the purchase of supporting equipment such as data cables and chargers. In this process, can not only make additional profits, but also form a special monopoly chain through uniqueness.
Now, the European Parliament has passed the legal situation to limit the model of charging interfaces, which is equivalent to cutting off Apple's monopoly tentacles in the field of power adapter . This has caused a small blow to Apple.
Apple once refused to respond to the EU's call on the grounds that "this move hinders innovation". Now, competitors in the same industry have switched to USB Type-C interfaces and developed adaptable electronic devices, but Apple is showing a relatively backward trend in this field because of its unique standards.
However, after the relevant EU regulations were issued, Apple obviously couldn't stand it anymore, and began to realize that it was launched in in the field of USB Type-Ch. According to media reports, Apple is currently testing future models of electronic products. In addition to some mobile phones, most computers, tablets and other products, is already using the USB Type-C interface.
The reason why things have developed to their current level can only be said that for a long time in the past, Apple has relied on its own technological advantages and the support of US technological hegemony behind it, and has unscrupulously "cutting leeks" around the world, which has long caused dissatisfaction in related industries and many countries.
Now, after Europe starts, other countries may follow up and regulate the relevant regulations of electronic products through legal forms. Then, next, a "anti-monopoly wave" against Apple will be launched around the world. As for how long Apple can last under this "encirclement and suppression", it may depend on how long the US hegemony can last.
