◎Intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin
【Today's Viewpoint】
On June 7, local time, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a political agreement that requires manufacturers of everything from smartphones and headphones to digital cameras and tablets to use the same universal charging port: USB Type-C ( hereinafter referred to as USB-C).
The new agreement will go into effect in the fall of 2024.
Most device makers say they will ensure their hardware complies with USB-C port rules over the next 24 months.
Why unify the interface
EU lawmakers chose the USB-C port over Apple's proprietary Lightning ecosystem primarily because of its openness.
USB is a new generation of standard interface bus jointly proposed by major technology companies such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard.
The USB-C charging protocol is developed and maintained by the USB-IF.
According to the European Commission, the new agreement aims to make EU products more sustainable, both to reduce e-waste and to make life easier for consumers.
In the future, cell phones and similar gadgets won't need a charger in the box because buyers already have the right accessories.
The EU estimates that the new agreement will allow more chargers to be reused, which could lead to savings of up to 250 million euros and about 11,000 tonnes of e-waste by reducing "unnecessary charger purchases" for consumers each year.
New deal faces controversy
According to The Verge, an American technology media website, some experts said that it is estimated that the move will not have a huge impact on the large amount of e-waste accumulated around the world.
However, the decision may be more symbolic.
It sets an example of how tighter regulations can force big tech companies to change their wasteful habits.
Finding a common standard is often in the interests of manufacturers, Reynolds Fokat, senior lecturer in economics at Lancaster University's School of Management, wrote in Australia's The Conversation.
While helping to reduce costs, it also provides a level playing field.
A common charging standard in the future will also encourage new competition.
This often results in manufacturers collaborating on a national and international level without government intervention.
Apple is currently the largest technology company in the world.
While every company wants its products to be compatible with Apple, what Apple wants is exclusivity.
Therefore, Fokaert believes that the main risk of the new agreement may not be hindering innovation in general, but preventing new exclusive Apple designs.
The EU has opted for the collective benefit of common standards over the benefit some consumers might derive from the exclusivity of Apple products.
On the other hand, the EU's decision to standardize chargers could have global ramifications.
Once tech makers switch to offering universal chargers to customers in the EU, production costs for different technologies in other parts of the world could rise.
Will Apple Bend?
According to The New York Times, the EU deal appears to be aimed at Apple in essence.
In November, Apple sent a letter to the European Commission expressing its opposition to the request.
"We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating only one type of charger would stifle rather than encourage technological innovation, which in turn would adversely affect consumers in Europe and around the world," the company said. However, the EU denies this This is the case and said it would update the legislation as new technologies develop.
Apple has a mature but controlled network of iPhone accessories.
Under its MFi (full name Made for iPhone/iPad) certification program, accessory makers' hardware must be approved by Apple.
This certification program has made Apple's accessories sales lucrative.
During the EU legislation process, Apple argued that the proposed rules would render as many as 1 billion devices and accessories that use Lightning chargers obsolete.
However, Apple's attitude is gradually softening.
The company has used the USB-C standard in some Mac and iPad models for some time, and is testing iPhone models that replace the Lightning port.
But the European Commission's June 7 announcement could hasten Apple's transition to USB-C and could lead the company to permanently abandon Lightning charging technology globally.
According to the US Forbes website, an anonymous industry insider named @LeaksApplePro said that the iPhone 15 series will be the first iPhone with a USB-C interface, but only the Pro model.
"Lightning is coming to an end".
The source also revealed that Apple will equip the entire iPhone 16 lineup with USB-C ports in 2024, before the EU agreement takes effect.
Apple might even go a step further with the iPhone 16 Pro models with a port-less (MagSafe-only) design.
Examples of the "Brussels Effect"
Taking the General Data Protection Regulation as an example, since 2016, global websites have modified their user experience to comply with European data protection laws.
Companies such as Facebook and Google have adapted their business models to fit new standards stemming from the EU's Digital Markets Act.
That drastically reduces the way they make money from consumer data, Folkart said.
Also known as the "Brussels effect", the EU uses market power to turn EU standards into global standards, when in fact, manufacturers are not obliged to apply EU regulations globally.
Analysts believe that if Apple and similar companies start moving towards a single type of charging connector globally, it will be another powerful example of the "Brussels effect".
That means lawmakers representing Europe's 400 million people ultimately set the standard for the rest of the world.
While U.S. lawmakers see the decision as having more costs than benefits, their thinking has largely become irrelevant.
The biggest tech companies are headquartered in the US, but their oversight has effectively been delegated to the EU, simply because EU regulators took the lead.
"Standards are often set by the regulators who act first," Falkart said.