4 ms·

Do you own a tablet and a laptop, by chance? Maybe have 3 other family members, each with some combination of said three devices? That can quickly become a lot

by pkulak 4y ago

Do you own a tablet and a laptop, by chance? Maybe have 3 other family members, each with some combination of said three devices? That can quickly become a lot of household chargers if they are all different.

Aerroon 4y ago
But the problem will still be exactly the same, because not all USB-C cables are created equal. We've basically set in stone a standard that is so varied that the standardization means nothing. And that's before you get into any component actually wearing out and giving you degraded performance on the device or cable.
- mort96 4y ago
  But you can get an USB-C power supply and cable which can charge all of your USB-C devices.
- pkulak 4y ago
  That hasn't been my experience. I have a bunch of 30w USB-C chargers that charge everything in my house. They are built in to my wall outlets and support (at least) 5v, 9v and 15v. I don't know where you're getting this idea that the standard is "so varied that the standardization means nothing". Those three profiles are enough for me. If I buy a 100W laptop, I may need one more charger, but that's just because I chose not to pay to have 100W available everywhere. It seems reasonable that a tiny phone charger won't work so great on a gaming laptop. EDIT: Guess I'm not allowed to reply to sagarm? That's annoying. But yeah, it's the Leviton one. I love it. Cleans up so many ugly wall warts.
  - sagarm 4y ago
    Which USB wall outlets are you using? The only one I've found that supports PD and 30W is from Leviton.
- sagarm 4y ago
  Practically it's not. We have probably a dozen USB-C devices in our home and many more chargers of varying wattage scattered about, and the only time I've had to think about the cable was for my TB3 dock. In fact, I worry more about cable lengths to minimize clutter.
cmckn 4y ago
As others have pointed out, even if all these devices have a USB-C hole on them, the likelihood that you could actually use their charger with another device (especially of a different class) is at best a coin toss. The devices still have to ship with chargers, you still have to find the “right” charger, but now you can’t tell them apart? My main thought is just that the problem of different chargers is not one I think requires sweeping regulatory intervention; but I’m not an EU voter. :)
- Zababa 4y ago
  > the likelihood that you could actually use their charger with another device (especially of a different class) is at best a coin toss. I've been able to use all my USB-C chargers for all my USB-C devices. That's 4 chargers and 4 devices.
  - colonwqbang 4y ago
    That's at best twelve coin tosses!
- guareber9 4y ago
  What? I use the same USB-C cable and charger with my android phone, 2020 Macbook Pro, Ipad, SO's android phone of a different brand and way older MBP that's on its last legs. That's the whole point of USB-C. I don't own a single device that I can't charge with the same 2 cables, to the point where the magnetic cable of the 2020 MBP is stored in its box.

by pkulak 4y ago

Aerroon 4y ago

But the problem will still be exactly the same, because not all USB-C cables are created equal. We've basically set in stone a standard that is so varied that the standardization means nothing. And that's before you get into any component actually wearing out and giving you degraded performance on the device or cable.

mort96 4y ago
But you can get an USB-C power supply and cable which can charge all of your USB-C devices.
pkulak 4y ago
That hasn't been my experience. I have a bunch of 30w USB-C chargers that charge everything in my house. They are built in to my wall outlets and support (at least) 5v, 9v and 15v. I don't know where you're getting this idea that the standard is "so varied that the standardization means nothing". Those three profiles are enough for me. If I buy a 100W laptop, I may need one more charger, but that's just because I chose not to pay to have 100W available everywhere. It seems reasonable that a tiny phone charger won't work so great on a gaming laptop. EDIT: Guess I'm not allowed to reply to sagarm? That's annoying. But yeah, it's the Leviton one. I love it. Cleans up so many ugly wall warts.
- sagarm 4y ago
  Which USB wall outlets are you using? The only one I've found that supports PD and 30W is from Leviton.
sagarm 4y ago
Practically it's not. We have probably a dozen USB-C devices in our home and many more chargers of varying wattage scattered about, and the only time I've had to think about the cable was for my TB3 dock. In fact, I worry more about cable lengths to minimize clutter.

cmckn 4y ago

As others have pointed out, even if all these devices have a USB-C hole on them, the likelihood that you could actually use their charger with another device (especially of a different class) is at best a coin toss. The devices still have to ship with chargers, you still have to find the “right” charger, but now you can’t tell them apart? My main thought is just that the problem of different chargers is not one I think requires sweeping regulatory intervention; but I’m not an EU voter. :)

Zababa 4y ago
> the likelihood that you could actually use their charger with another device (especially of a different class) is at best a coin toss. I've been able to use all my USB-C chargers for all my USB-C devices. That's 4 chargers and 4 devices.
- colonwqbang 4y ago
  That's at best twelve coin tosses!
guareber9 4y ago
What? I use the same USB-C cable and charger with my android phone, 2020 Macbook Pro, Ipad, SO's android phone of a different brand and way older MBP that's on its last legs. That's the whole point of USB-C. I don't own a single device that I can't charge with the same 2 cables, to the point where the magnetic cable of the 2020 MBP is stored in its box.