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I'd certainly much rather type-c than lightning or, god forbid, micro usb, but it also has its own issues. Issues that one would hope would be solved by the usb

I'd certainly much rather type-c than lightning or, god forbid, micro usb, but it also has its own issues. Issues that one would hope would be solved by the usb-d, and so on. The problem with this law is that it makes it much more difficult to start using future usb standards. The EU addressed this by saying that they'll keep up with technology as it moves, but one thing that technology is famous for, and the EU is infamous for, is the speed at which it moves. 5 years is a blink of an eye in politics, and a lifetime in tech. Thats not to say we'll never see another USB version, I just worry this will considerably slow things down. It seems to me the more future-proof way to do this would be to force companies to use an open-standard. We'd still be stuck with the dreaded micro-usb, and possibly lightning if apple let everyone else use it too, but it solves the proprietary issue without locking us in for another ~10 years of just type-c

D13Fd 4y ago
Saying they’ll keep up doesn’t really make sense. The regulation will cause innovation to slow or stop in this area. So there won’t be a whole lot to keep up with. After all, why invest money in improving your charging connector if you are going to be mandated to use USB-C anyway?
- bodge5000 4y ago
  I said in another comment, its a chicken & egg problem. The EU will allow new standards as they're used, but nobody will use new standards until the EU allows it.
Dalewyn 4y ago
Seeing as the U in USB stands for Universal, there are plenty of incentives besides politics to /not/ change physical designs such as the connections. USB-C's introduction was (and arguably still is) fairly disruptive because it invalidated the universal nature of USB-A (and to a lesser extent -B and Micro). Personally, I hope USB-C will be here to stay for at least the better part of a decade going forward. Finding that what was once universal won't be universal tomorrow is annoying.
Auracle 4y ago
They could have addressed this by having a built in sunset on the law - say, in 5 years. That would get everyone (Apple) on the same page in the short term but it would allow for further innovation.

D13Fd 4y ago

Saying they’ll keep up doesn’t really make sense. The regulation will cause innovation to slow or stop in this area. So there won’t be a whole lot to keep up with. After all, why invest money in improving your charging connector if you are going to be mandated to use USB-C anyway?

bodge5000 4y ago
I said in another comment, its a chicken & egg problem. The EU will allow new standards as they're used, but nobody will use new standards until the EU allows it.

Dalewyn 4y ago

Seeing as the U in USB stands for Universal, there are plenty of incentives besides politics to /not/ change physical designs such as the connections. USB-C's introduction was (and arguably still is) fairly disruptive because it invalidated the universal nature of USB-A (and to a lesser extent -B and Micro). Personally, I hope USB-C will be here to stay for at least the better part of a decade going forward. Finding that what was once universal won't be universal tomorrow is annoying.

Auracle 4y ago

They could have addressed this by having a built in sunset on the law - say, in 5 years. That would get everyone (Apple) on the same page in the short term but it would allow for further innovation.