News

Sorry iPhone users but you might have to replace all your chargers and this is why

Sorry iPhone users but you might have to replace all your chargers and this is why
Getty/iStock

It was bad enough when the tech giants collectively decided that no one used wired headphones anymore (counter point: um, we do?) and jettisoned the headphone jack with no prior warning.

And don’t get us started on the war of the cables; everyone had just about got used to Android’s micro-USB and the iPhone’s Lightning cable.

But then a new fighter appeared on the scene: the USB-C which, confusingly, is used by new Android devices and some new Apple products (like the 2019 iPad) – but not all of them.

Safe to say, trying to charge your phone at a mate’s is now a game of cable roulette.

However, an end is in sight (good!) but it may mean all Apple Lightning cables becoming obsolete (annoying!).

The European Parliament is urging the European Commission (EC) to make all big tech companies adopt one universal charging method.

Aka – they all have to sell devices that use the same type of cable to add juice.

The EC has actually got a good reason for wanting the change though; obsolete cables apparently contribute 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste per year.

They want to cut down on this waste by making one common charger that fits as many devices as possible.

If regulations are enforced, it’ll mean Apple have to either adopt the USB-C across all of its products or go entirely wireless (please don’t do this Apple).

Unsurprisingly, Apple is not pleased at potentially being told what to do by regulators and have said the change will “stifle innovation” and “be disruptive to consumers”.

However, as of yet, there’s no date for regulators to vote on the proposal.

So watch this space.

More: Woman calls off wedding after finding her fiancé complaining about the cost of her wedding dress online​

More: Trans woman wins £9k from Debenhams after being turned down for a job​

The Conversation (0)
x