Daily Authority: EU says USB-C you later 👋

The European Commission in the EU has proposed a law requiring mobile devices to be charged via USB-C, with a focus on reducing e-waste. Yes, that means the iPhone is in the line of fire.

• There’s a pretty good indication that Apple has switched to USB-C on all of its devices: its Macs and iPads are now mostly based on USB-C ports.
• That’s because it’s better: USB-C wipes the floor with Lightning, with fast charging, and wildly faster data transfer speeds.
• Apple sticking to Lightning has two sides: Not doing it would mean a bunch of cables would become useless, but the longer it leaves its platforms on Lightning, the worse it is for the ecosystem.

Anyway, now the EU is trying to step on the pedal and force USB-C:

• The proposal focuses on both the charging port and the fast charging technology to be harmonized.
• There is also a rule to unbundle the sale of a charger from the sale of the electronic device in order to reduce the number of chargers piling up in households.
• Another part of this is information: “… manufacturers must provide relevant information about the charging power, including information about the power required by the device and whether it supports fast charging.”
• The overall goal? “USB-C is becoming the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and portable video game consoles.”

At least that’s the idea:

• This is a proposed change. It still needs the green light from the EU member states and EU legislators.
• Then there is a 24-month transition period, which means it will take until 2024 for it to come into effect.
• And portless devices are not affected, meaning a portless iPhone, which by the way was rumored for the iPhone 13, would escape a USB-C switch. Will this push wireless chargers?
• Oh and another twist, Apple or anyone else could have two ports: a proprietary and a USB-C port.

Apple is mad, EU doesn’t care:

• The counter-argument, of course, is that this would stifle innovation. Apple itself said so in a statement: “We remain concerned that strict regulation that only mandates one type of connector will stifle innovation rather than encourage it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.”
• Above Reuters, the EU says he doesn’t care: The Commission’s industry leader Thierry Breton rejected Apple’s comments. “I’ve known these companies for years. Every time we make a proposal, they start to say, “Oh, this is against innovation”. No, it is not against innovation, it is not against anyone. Like everything the Commission does, it is intended for consumers, ”he said.

Reactions? Bitter:

• Benedict Evans called it “deeply stupid“And” embarrassing, “based on the idea that innovations beyond USB-C will now stop, which is a fair point.
• I am less devastating because we have to do things that are less damaging to the environment.
• The idea, however, is that if this had happened six years ago, we could all have stuck to micro-USB as the One True Standard.
• So do we stick with USB-C even if a new successor format emerges that is much better?
• I suspect the idea of ​​just making a plug with open fast charging standards really good and ubiquitous is a good one. But it’s temporary: the law should at best be enforced for a limited period of time, given the opportunities for innovation.
• I mean, I often think back to my dissatisfaction when Apple switched from the huge 30-pin dock connector to the Lightning connector in 2012 and immediately devastated a ton of electronics with built-in docks, cables, accessories and so on.
• Unfortunately, that was two years before USB Type-C appeared.

Also chargers for electric cars?

• Let’s face it, the EU is running late, which it acknowledges with apologies: it has been trying voluntary agreements since 2009.
• The next big problem is the connectors on the EV charging cable.
• In case you haven’t tried charging one before, there is no one-size-fits-all standard. There are differences in the geographical locations and also according to manufacturers. There are now more or less four predominant types, depending on the speed and AC / DC, with variations depending on the manufacturer: Tesla has of course developed its own adaptation of Type 2 for its superchargers, which do not fit into other cars.
• But standardizing one connector type could limit options like charging speeds and characteristics before the market is mature, or complicate efforts like hot-swap batteries.

How will you organize your electronic files in 2021? Folder? Directories? What if you just had no idea what file systems were because you grew up with apps and a desktop and devices that can instantly search entire devices at once.

That’s what this piece is about The edge with a focus on the classroom and students who just haven’t really thought about storing files in discreet places:

• A concept that Garland has always taken for granted, but that seems completely alien to her students. “I tend to think that an item is stored in a specific folder. It lives in one place and I have to go to that folder to find it, ”says Garland. “You see it like a bucket and everything is in the bucket.”
• One of these students explains the various files and data on his computer as a “Laundry basket in which you have everything together and only pull out what you need.”
• It’s important for budding developers and IT professionals and so on, but the question is, if the search is good enough, why bother?

Confession: Every single draft of the Daily Authority is in a single (searchable) folder.

Tristan Rayner, Managing Editor.