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The EU insisting on all phones standardizing on the USB connector is evidence of just the opposite and shows the cluelessness and shortsightness of the EU. You

The EU insisting on all phones standardizing on the USB connector is evidence of just the opposite and shows the cluelessness and shortsightness of the EU. You will still have phones that come with “standard USB C” cables where some support different power delivery, data speeds (or not support data transfer at all), very few will support video over USB C (which is standardized), etc. So still when the Android user with the cheap power only USB C cord moves over to the hypothetical iPhone 15 with USB C, they will still have to throw away their USB C cable that potentially doesn’t support high speed data or video over USB C. Both supported by todays iPads with USB C. If the same mandate had gone through when it was first proposed, we would have been stuck with micro USB.

Hamuko 4y ago
>So still when the Android user with the cheap power only USB C cord moves over to the hypothetical iPhone 15 with USB C, they will still have to throw away their USB C cable that potentially doesn’t support high speed data or video over USB C. Except that it's still a perfectly fine cable for charging, which is what most people do with their cables?
- scarface74 4y ago
  As long as you don’t care about data transfers of the very large video and photos that modern phones can create or connecting to a larger screen. If you want to “avoid ewaste” why not “mandate” more than the least common denominator? If iPhone users were satisfied with the least common denominator, they would be buying cheap Android phones.
  - Auracle 4y ago
    The amount of people that transfer videos/photos off of their phone to a computer by any means is absolutely minuscule.
    - scarface74 4y ago
      So you think the people shooting 4K video and taking RAW pictures are posting them to Instagram? The lowest common denominator is the same reason that Bluetooth outside of the Apple ecosystem is such a shit show. Android has supported its own proprietary video over micro USB for ages before USB C became more ubiquitous. What are the chances that Android manufactures won’t cheap out and not ship with cables that can support video over USB?
      - unionpivo 4y ago
        people who know what shooting 4k video means or what RAW format is is probably way less than 10% of all users of smartphones. and I am probably overestimating by order of magnitude. Most people shoot photos and show them to their friends online. Some of them even share it through sites like Instagram and Facebook or WhatsApp and similar. And that is where it ends for most normal people. As long as the cable can charge the phone, it will do for the most buyers.
      - genewitch 4y ago
        people who earn on twitch, instagram, etc use dslr or mirrorless cameras, unless the video requires a phone in hand. I know the "standard setup" shown in media, and advertisements, etc shows a ring light with a cellphone using the front facing camera as the recording device, that's just not technologically feasible. And for the record, i move 4k and/or 108MP images from my phones via wifi or cellular, using synology diskstation autosync or syncthing, respectively. I've used syncthing to upload unedited 4k30p drone footage with no issues, and when i get home, it will sync to hard disks in addition.
ThatPlayer 4y ago
Because the mandate is not about phones or data. It's about battery powered devices and charging. I don't need data in the cable for my wireless earbuds, or my battery pack. My toothbrush or my beard trimmer. So that hypothetical USB C cable doesn't have to be thrown away, it can still be used for other devices. Which is why standardization is good.
- scarface74 4y ago
  So grab a random “standard” USB C cable. What are the chances that it will charge my MacBook Pro 16 inch that does support “standard” USB C? Will that “standard” USB C cable that comes with my Beats Flex headphones charge my iPhone 12 Pro Max? My Anker battery?
  - ThatPlayer 4y ago
    Maybe not, but what's the alternative? Should we give up because of incompatibilities and go back to proprietary cables for everyone? Do we move back to DC jacks that offer no voltage negotiation so you can blow up your 5V battery pack with a 24V input? You're letting perfect be the enemy of good here. Also I think the ideal endgame is that your Beats Flex headphones don't come with cables at all because of standardization. Look at Apple (and most phone manufacturers) no longer packaging chargers.
    - scarface74 4y ago
      If the aim is to prevent eWaste yes. Someone should be able to buy a “standard” USB access cable and know that it actually work across devices if it is government mandated. If not, what’s the point of the “standard”?
      - ThatPlayer 4y ago
        Well like you say, it is to prevent ewaste. And even the cheapest power only USB cables with the cheapest USB power supply provides "standard" 5V power. If your device doesn't accept that, isn't that a problem with your Macbook and not the cable?

Hamuko 4y ago

>So still when the Android user with the cheap power only USB C cord moves over to the hypothetical iPhone 15 with USB C, they will still have to throw away their USB C cable that potentially doesn’t support high speed data or video over USB C. Except that it's still a perfectly fine cable for charging, which is what most people do with their cables?

scarface74 4y ago
As long as you don’t care about data transfers of the very large video and photos that modern phones can create or connecting to a larger screen. If you want to “avoid ewaste” why not “mandate” more than the least common denominator? If iPhone users were satisfied with the least common denominator, they would be buying cheap Android phones.
- Auracle 4y ago
  The amount of people that transfer videos/photos off of their phone to a computer by any means is absolutely minuscule.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    So you think the people shooting 4K video and taking RAW pictures are posting them to Instagram? The lowest common denominator is the same reason that Bluetooth outside of the Apple ecosystem is such a shit show. Android has supported its own proprietary video over micro USB for ages before USB C became more ubiquitous. What are the chances that Android manufactures won’t cheap out and not ship with cables that can support video over USB?
    - unionpivo 4y ago
      people who know what shooting 4k video means or what RAW format is is probably way less than 10% of all users of smartphones. and I am probably overestimating by order of magnitude. Most people shoot photos and show them to their friends online. Some of them even share it through sites like Instagram and Facebook or WhatsApp and similar. And that is where it ends for most normal people. As long as the cable can charge the phone, it will do for the most buyers.
    - genewitch 4y ago
      people who earn on twitch, instagram, etc use dslr or mirrorless cameras, unless the video requires a phone in hand. I know the "standard setup" shown in media, and advertisements, etc shows a ring light with a cellphone using the front facing camera as the recording device, that's just not technologically feasible. And for the record, i move 4k and/or 108MP images from my phones via wifi or cellular, using synology diskstation autosync or syncthing, respectively. I've used syncthing to upload unedited 4k30p drone footage with no issues, and when i get home, it will sync to hard disks in addition.

ThatPlayer 4y ago

Because the mandate is not about phones or data. It's about battery powered devices and charging. I don't need data in the cable for my wireless earbuds, or my battery pack. My toothbrush or my beard trimmer. So that hypothetical USB C cable doesn't have to be thrown away, it can still be used for other devices. Which is why standardization is good.

scarface74 4y ago
So grab a random “standard” USB C cable. What are the chances that it will charge my MacBook Pro 16 inch that does support “standard” USB C? Will that “standard” USB C cable that comes with my Beats Flex headphones charge my iPhone 12 Pro Max? My Anker battery?
- ThatPlayer 4y ago
  Maybe not, but what's the alternative? Should we give up because of incompatibilities and go back to proprietary cables for everyone? Do we move back to DC jacks that offer no voltage negotiation so you can blow up your 5V battery pack with a 24V input? You're letting perfect be the enemy of good here. Also I think the ideal endgame is that your Beats Flex headphones don't come with cables at all because of standardization. Look at Apple (and most phone manufacturers) no longer packaging chargers.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    If the aim is to prevent eWaste yes. Someone should be able to buy a “standard” USB access cable and know that it actually work across devices if it is government mandated. If not, what’s the point of the “standard”?
    - ThatPlayer 4y ago
      Well like you say, it is to prevent ewaste. And even the cheapest power only USB cables with the cheapest USB power supply provides "standard" 5V power. If your device doesn't accept that, isn't that a problem with your Macbook and not the cable?