( Observer Network ) According to the British " Guardian " report on June 7, EU institutions reached a political agreement on the proposal to unify the charger interface on the same day, which means that by the fall of 2024, all mobile phones or other portable small and medium-sized electronic devices sold in the EU region must uniformly adopt a USB Type-C interface to reduce consumer trouble and "election waste" waste.
iPhones under Apple are the only major mobile phone brands that do not use the Type-C interface. Apple has previously told EU officials that such legislation would affect up to 1 billion Apple products using the lightning interface (Lightning).
"Guardian": The EU agreement will force iPhones to use USB-C charging interface in 2024
"Today, we have achieved a unified charger in Europe." European Parliament spokesman Alex Agius Saliba said at a press conference on the 7th, "European consumers have always been disappointed that every new device has to be equipped with different chargers. Now, their portable electronic products will be able to use the same charger."
According to a statement issued by the European Commission , all "small and medium-sized portable electronic devices" sold in the EU, including mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, e-reader and other electronic products will be required to be equipped with a Type-C interface by the fall of 2024. Laptop is also within the scope of the application of the regulations, but the deadline has been relaxed until 2026.
European Commission Internal Marketing Commissioner Thierry Breton claimed that the agreement will provide EU consumers with more convenience and reduce waste, saving EU consumers 250 million euros (about RMB 1.79 billion) in annual expenditure.
The EU proposed a proposal to unify charging standards in September last year, but the statement was announced after the European Commission, European Parliament and EU Council held tripartite negotiations and reached an agreement. CNN (CNN) pointed out that the bill still needs to be finalized before it comes into effect, but new news shows that this approval process will be as smooth as a "moment".
In September last year, EU internal market specialist Breton held a press conference on the unified charging interface standard. Picture from Pengpai Image
This new regulation will have the greatest impact on Apple. Apple's iPhone is the only major mobile phone brand that does not use the Type-C interface. CNN quoted a report released by the European Parliament last year that Apple had previously told EU officials that such legislation would affect up to 1 billion Apple products using lightning interfaces.
A study cited in this report shows that 44% of new phones sold in the EU in 2019 use Type-C interfaces, 38% use older Micro USB interfaces, and Apple iPhones using Lightning interfaces account for 18% of sales.
Apple has expressed opposition to the EU's proposal. In September last year, an Apple representative declared in an interview with the BBC (BBC): "The regulatory measures that force the use of unified interfaces are to stifle innovation rather than encourage innovation, which will damage the rights and interests of consumers in Europe and surrounding areas."
But CNN pointed out that Apple has used the Type-C charging standard in some Mac and iPad products. Sources also revealed not long ago that Apple is testing iPhone models that use Type-C interfaces, so new EU regulations may push Apple to take action faster.
reported that the EU tried to formulate a common charging interface standard more than a decade ago and once received industry support for the Micro USB standard, but the agreement reached between major manufacturers expired in 2014. The upcoming Type-C standard may become the first legislation to unify charging interface standards in the EU.
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