5 ms·

So what actually happened here is a long time ago, every model of phone had its own proprietary charger. This obviously produces a lot of E-waste. The EU steppe

by Doxin 4y ago

So what actually happened here is a long time ago, every model of phone had its own proprietary charger. This obviously produces a lot of E-waste. The EU stepped in and warned manufacturers to pick a standard or they would. Basically every brand standardized on micro-usb, and later on USB-C. Every big brand except apple. The EU is now simply making good on their threat. Everyone is playing ball except apple. They aren't special. They aren't unique. They have to play by the rules like anyone else.

roenxi 4y ago
> Everyone is playing ball except apple. They aren't special. They aren't unique. They have to play by the rules like anyone else. Legislating this way means that the EU won't produce any companies that are special. They won't produce companies that are unique. They will play by the rules and get crushed by the Asians and Americans, who will take turns passing the baton of success between the two continents. And I look forward to coming back in a few years to see what impact this has on e-waste. I bet no detectable change. People will still throw out the same number of chargers as ever.
- raspyberr 4y ago
  >Legislating this way means that the EU won't produce any companies that are special That's a pretty big leap from use USB-C like everyone else. Are you saying that now that Apple has to use USB-C there is no more innovation let for them to do? Were people really buying their products just because of thunderbolt?
  - roenxi 4y ago
    https://www.mobilecellphonerepairing.com/top-10-most-popular-mobile-phone-companies-in-europe.html https://www.mobilecellphonerepairing.com/top-10-most-popular... Just saying, Samsung isn't a Swiss name. Nor are any of the others on that list down to Sony. Maybe Europe has a contender in the also-ran category that makes up number 10? We have a continent of people who don't know how to design a good phone, pretending that their bureaucrats can make better decisions than arguably the best phone design company in the world. Certainly the best over the 21st century. I don't think that this piece of regulation is that important, big picture - but it is hilarious that on HN this is one of the topics that gets the most unanimous support for the EU. I honestly can't think why, this is the an area where they have demonstrably failed to an outrageous degree.
- anotherhue 4y ago
  You’d have to explain why lightning is innovative on apple phones while usbC is innovative on their laptops.
  - roenxi 4y ago
    When you choose your breakfast, do you stop by an EU office to justify why your porridge is more nutritious than an egg on toast? The EU has no reason to be involved in this sort of trivia. There is a literal land war in Europe as we speak. Threats of nuclear war fly. There is an ongoing energy crisis. We just came out of a global pandemic, people were being locked down left, right, centre and a lot of deaths because they failed to prepare like the Asians did for the last decade. And through all this the EU has found time to decide that some committee needs to tell Apple how to design iPhones. This is the stuff of parody! Let Apple design iPhones, and the EU should maybe concentrate on securing peace in Europe. Get their own act together securing peace and freedom before trying to tell a rather successful phone company how to design phones. What were their politicians doing? diplomats doing? Their engineers? Their doctors and scientists? Hopefully not backseat redesigning iPhones.
  - Arnt 4y ago
    There is an actual innovation here: Magsafe. A bunch of vendors spent a decade or two shipping charger cables that weren't noticeably innovative, one still does that. The one that still does is also the one that invented Magsafe and doesn't ship that for phones. One should be careful about drawing conclusions from a handful of examples, or even just one example. I feel safe in saying that even though Apple was legally permitted to use magsafe for phones, that didn't lead to the company doing it.

by Doxin 4y ago

roenxi 4y ago

> Everyone is playing ball except apple. They aren't special. They aren't unique. They have to play by the rules like anyone else. Legislating this way means that the EU won't produce any companies that are special. They won't produce companies that are unique. They will play by the rules and get crushed by the Asians and Americans, who will take turns passing the baton of success between the two continents. And I look forward to coming back in a few years to see what impact this has on e-waste. I bet no detectable change. People will still throw out the same number of chargers as ever.

raspyberr 4y ago
>Legislating this way means that the EU won't produce any companies that are special That's a pretty big leap from use USB-C like everyone else. Are you saying that now that Apple has to use USB-C there is no more innovation let for them to do? Were people really buying their products just because of thunderbolt?
- roenxi 4y ago
  https://www.mobilecellphonerepairing.com/top-10-most-popular-mobile-phone-companies-in-europe.html https://www.mobilecellphonerepairing.com/top-10-most-popular... Just saying, Samsung isn't a Swiss name. Nor are any of the others on that list down to Sony. Maybe Europe has a contender in the also-ran category that makes up number 10? We have a continent of people who don't know how to design a good phone, pretending that their bureaucrats can make better decisions than arguably the best phone design company in the world. Certainly the best over the 21st century. I don't think that this piece of regulation is that important, big picture - but it is hilarious that on HN this is one of the topics that gets the most unanimous support for the EU. I honestly can't think why, this is the an area where they have demonstrably failed to an outrageous degree.
anotherhue 4y ago
You’d have to explain why lightning is innovative on apple phones while usbC is innovative on their laptops.
- roenxi 4y ago
  When you choose your breakfast, do you stop by an EU office to justify why your porridge is more nutritious than an egg on toast? The EU has no reason to be involved in this sort of trivia. There is a literal land war in Europe as we speak. Threats of nuclear war fly. There is an ongoing energy crisis. We just came out of a global pandemic, people were being locked down left, right, centre and a lot of deaths because they failed to prepare like the Asians did for the last decade. And through all this the EU has found time to decide that some committee needs to tell Apple how to design iPhones. This is the stuff of parody! Let Apple design iPhones, and the EU should maybe concentrate on securing peace in Europe. Get their own act together securing peace and freedom before trying to tell a rather successful phone company how to design phones. What were their politicians doing? diplomats doing? Their engineers? Their doctors and scientists? Hopefully not backseat redesigning iPhones.
- Arnt 4y ago
  There is an actual innovation here: Magsafe. A bunch of vendors spent a decade or two shipping charger cables that weren't noticeably innovative, one still does that. The one that still does is also the one that invented Magsafe and doesn't ship that for phones. One should be careful about drawing conclusions from a handful of examples, or even just one example. I feel safe in saying that even though Apple was legally permitted to use magsafe for phones, that didn't lead to the company doing it.