Tape-C is about to unify the world!
Recently, the European Parliament passed the bill on the unified charging interface of portable smart devices with a vote of 602 votes in favor and 13 votes against.
The bill requires that all mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, portable speakers, handheld video game consoles, e-reader , keyboards, mouses and portable navigation systems will have a unified charging interface - Tape-C within two years.
In fact, the problem with the unified charging interface has been around for a long time. As early as 2009, EU began to strive for the unified smartphone charging interface and was committed to the unified interface. The benefits of the unified interface of
are obvious. They can reduce the number of data cables, help reuse the charging cables, save money for consumers, and also help different consumers to exchange and use . For the industry, it is also more conducive to saving resources. Moreover, the performance of the Apple interface is relatively poor. The Type-C interface can support fast charging power up to 100 watts and is widely compatible with various transmission protocols.
It is very necessary to complete the unity of the charging interface, which is very important for saving resources and improving efficiency. .
The current situation is that Android manufacturers have basically adopted the USB Type-Ch charging interface, while Apple users use the dedicated Lightning interface.
So, for consumers, the unified charging cable is obviously convenient to use. Former Apple Vice President and father of iPod Tony Fadell also posted a post to support:
" I can't see any problem. The world has been integrated on USB-C. Physical and user restrictions have been reached, and next is wireless connection, not differentiated physical connection. So I'm not worried about this regulation. They are just forcing Apple to do the right thing - frankly, this is outdated. "
But Apple has always been a staunch opponent. The reason Apple gave is:
hinder innovation : force the industry to adopt the same charging specification through administrative instructions will hinder innovation, and the market should choose which charging interface to adopt. Multiple charging specifications and protocols may develop more and more advanced charging devices in the future;
environmentally friendly : The existing Lighting accessories are incompatible with general standards, and there are still a large number of peripheral devices in the music field such as musical instrument tuning peripherals, DJ peripherals, etc., as well as old Apple's existing equipment. Once the new charging interface is switched, these devices will inevitably be abandoned, and some charging devices will also face elimination, causing harm to the environment;
Space : The Type-C interface is larger than Lighting, and it will occupy internal space for consumer electronics, which are valuable in every inch of land.
There is nothing to say about environmental protection, because it is disposable, and a charging cable itself will not last long. There is some reason for the considerations in space, but that's not bad.
Some people believe that Apple is unwilling to sacrifice nearly 10 billion yuan in profits per year. Because Apple charges MFi authorization and certification fees, the annual profits will be more than one billion US dollars in , as well as the data line sales revenue brought by monopoly. So, this may also be a deep-seated reason why Apple is unwilling to accept it.
In response to this, some netizens said: "Everything Apple does is environmentally friendly. Isn't it just to make money by selling high-priced and low-end chargers?" "
But in order to maintain the product life cycle and ensure the brand image, Apple MFI certification requires that the authorized accessories ensure that their quality and taste are consistent with itself. Moreover, the authorized product has passed the certification license only after passing multiple tests. Being able to apply for and successfully obtain the MFi authorization has also become a symbol of Apple's accessories manufacturers and design companies in their technology and quality strength. This not only requires a fee, but is actually beneficial to the charged companies. Internal processes and quality control can be upgraded as a result, and the brand image will also be improved by .
Let’s take a look at this revenue. Apple’s net profit in 2021 will be nearly 100 billion US dollars. For billions of dollars, Apple dares to take the risk of doing the right users? This reason is not very sufficient.
So, is what Apple says to block innovation really reasonable?
Indeed, if new technologies appear, then forced interfaces will become an obstacle. Enterprises are unwilling to try with updated interfaces, and no industry is willing to undertake them, so the progress of interface technology will be hindered.
However, this can be completely selected by an alliance method. Similar to the telecommunications alliance, it is completely feasible to argue new technologies. After the argument is passed, everyone will adopt the latest technologies uniformly.
Some people also believe that the reason why Apple is unwilling to give up this interface may be very simple - too big.
Compared with Tape-C, Apple's charging interface is more compact and more in line with the basic concept of Apple's design, and Apple phones are basically thinner. On MacBook and iPad, Apple has partially used the more efficient Type-C.
However, there are many technical factors in this problem, which is not what I am good at. Let’s leave an open question. But it is absolutely not as simple as not willing to give up making a profit of tens of billions of dollars. As the saying goes, there are gains and losses.
