swedeonamoose
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857
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Today USB-C becomes the standard for chargers in Europe, this includes chargers for Phones, tablets, digital cameras, headsets, portable speakers, keyboards and mouse, gps and hearing aids.
And from April 28th it will also apply to portable computers
hushpuppyextraordinaire
Next year: the all new USB-D
8FootedAlgaeEater
USB-C 3.2 has been great! Long live USB-C!
Coltaine
Now if USB-C was an actual good connector... Still it's better than the millions of different jacks of the past for sure.
The11thPlague
There are provisions in the law to revise the standard every few years, in case a better alternative shows up. Those provisions are the reason the EU moved from micro-USB to USB-C. There's a grace period too. It wasn't immediately mandatory and they actually worked with the industry to pick the new standard. Of course someone did not want to cooperate, but they did reach out.
heroesblood
It's leagues better than micro. Fuck that stupid flimsy BS.
aducksayswhat
Now you just have hundreds of different cable and port capabilities on one port
Revyloution
Right? The only ports I've ever had fail are UBC C. And I'm 54 and been using computers since the 80s. I've had 4 phones in a row have the Cport fail
Boksha
Yeah. I love the idea of having a universal connector, but USB-C just feels so incredibly shoddy. Gimme the functionality of USB-C in USB-A form-factor.
Lewd4D
USB-A is too big and fuck one sided connectors.
CorgisButtsDriveMeNuts
Yes and half of the devices are sold without chargers now. Brand names charges are fucking expensive. No name chargers don't count if you need repairs or replacements. So yeah, capitalism, ooh, finds a way (to fuck things up even further).
Fifofu
Europe and Japan are now the last hope for consumer/citizen protection against corporate greed and sleazy tactics. In the past individuals could protect themselves from snake oil salesmen with education. It was 1 vs 1. But corporations now have too much knowledge on how to break the human spirit in mass. That's why we need protections like this or the "packaging pictures should show real size of the product". We needed more. But Trump circle and Chinese unregulated EV dominance will fuck all.
BansheeLabs
Korea adds some pluses too, from time to time. Some fighting smoogles monopolies, for instance.
vizeroy42
Well.. that's the image, they want to project...
Reality is: manufacturing quality, reliability and especially service time is WAAAAAYYYY worse... They have basically no spare parts supply... wait times for spares can be... over a year...
PPlank
*en masse?
esparadrapo
Australia shines sometimes too. It was Australia who forced Valve to offer refunds on Steam.
emu314159127001
Oz has 50 year copyright, so don't access the sites there with books not yet in your public domain!
Florida18
I cannot agree more.
Boatsntoes
Fuck apple and their proprietary cables
paynoattentiontousernames
Cool. Let's do wall sockets next
swedeonamoose
Most of the EU already use the same socket, but i guess the costs of replacing all sockets where they dont would just be way too effin much
paynoattentiontousernames
I know. It's probably too late now. But still... Would be grand if they did!
PballQhead
Obligatory xkcd (https://xkcd.com/927):
VodkaReindeer
I just bought a wireless charger. It's neat.
GermanGuy79
First, let's see how long the standard lasts. And I can think of 8 different types of cables with different performance.
Heelcat70
That's a weird looking harmonica.
Teledabby
yeah, no more development. Armchair farters decide on technical properties! Works as great you expect it will:
IGotMyDreamJobProgrammingGames
You tech illiterate dorks don't get to have an opinion on this.
AuthGaeuvyen
finally it's becoming the STANDARD it claimed to be.
emu314159127001
suck it, apple. also, cheap bastards still using micro usb
JasSingh685
Where??
RealityInflicted
And dildos, right?
AimingForAdorkable
Is it for all, hmmmm, handheld sized devices? Lol.
N3m079
right!
sixtimesseven
There has to be a watt limit on this for laptops. Mine requires 240 watts and USB C is only certified to 100w
PeggyvdP
It doesn't apply for laptops, that regulation will be set in 2026
panzerfury
You can have multiple USB-C power inputs. We use 240W workstation CAD laptops, and instead of one USB power connector, we have two available.
ProppaGanda
USB C 2.1 standard released in 2021 delivers 240 W,
sixtimesseven
Neat
literallymike
Finally understanding what the "U" actually stands for.
OverwhelmingSurplusOfDiggity
When it came out in the 1990s we called it “useless serial bus”.
DarkRedCape
U Stupid Bloody Cunt, right?
ancalime
Not since UK left 😢
ickyickywoopwoo
What if someone invents something new and better? Asking for a friend...
AyrA
You can do that. It's not illegal for a company from making their own charging standard. The EU law mandates that you also have to support the PD standard, and support must be as close to your own standard as possible. Meaning if you do create a standard that can send 500 W over the cable you can do that, but you also must support PD at 240 Watts (its current maximum) unless your device cannot function with less than 240 W of input, then you're allowed to drop PD support.
AyrA
In that case, you can also use a different connector. This means if you can shove a GPU so powerful it exceeds current PD standard into your laptop you are allowed to ditch USB-C and PD in favor of your own connector.
AyrA
In other words, the law is not as harsh as some people make it out to be, and will never be an unjust limitation.
The11thPlague
There are provisions in the law to revise the standard every few years. And a grace period between the old standard and the new one. They already moved from recommending micro-USB to recommending USB-C. There was an option to sell a product with a different connection if you also offered a free USB adapter for it. Apple took advantage of that option, but now they removed it.
Lewd4D
If enough people agree it will become the next standard.
gemaeuer
can I trash my four different mini/micro USB cables now?
W92Baj
Back in the old times every manufacturer had their own connectors for chargers, often a different one per model
The11thPlague
No, those are special trash and you should bring them to a collection point.
SpammersAreScum
I just bought a new printer, and it still uses the squarish connection. USB-B, I think?
AimingForAdorkable
No don’t!
There is a universal curse in place:
After you throw away any cable that you deemed “useless” or “I don’t know what this goes to, I’ve had it for years, I’ll probably never find out what it attaches to anyway. It’s gathering dust. I’m going to throw it away.”
The device it connects to, will spontaneously manifest itself within your home. within the next 6 months.
In a timely enough time for you to remember you threw away the cable, and facepalm yourself. —>
AimingForAdorkable
Notes:
And/or the curse can also manifest as:
You will need that *exact cable* for a similar but different device. Usually from the same era. Or obscure manufacturer.
Like, “the same charger that used to charge your one thing, can also be used to charge and upload your old digital camera you found from 2004, that you found in the attic!”
Wow I bet there’s some great old gems of pictures on there! Wouldn’t it be great if you had a cable that was shaped just like…“Oh. Fuck.”
gemaeuer
alright alright, I keep them in the cable box :-) .... along with the serial printer and the SCSI cable ... because .. the curse ...
AimingForAdorkable
Notes part 3:
The more obscure the type of cable, the more this curse will rub itself in your face.
Be prepared to buy a “new” cable off of eBay, if you can find one, because they’re out of production now! At a huge markup and with questionable reliability from the buyer.
“Innovation! Yay!”
Izegrim
For laptops in april 2026!
SergeyPrkl
There are laptops that does NOT have USB-C as main charging port? I think Past 3-4 years Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, they have all had USB-C charging. Some have both though.
Like Lenovo T470s has regular rectangular slimtip charging port and USB-C Thunderbolt 3.0 with charging. And it got even the older style docking port on the bottom. So, it works with new USB-C docks and old docks.
somethingdark
The Dell Inspiron that I'm using for work has the traditional cylindrical plug for charging
SergeyPrkl
okay. I never had consumer orientend ones. only Latitudes. You got separate graphics card? They need juice and cheaper way to get +100W is regular charger.
makesense
Now if they, and the US, would ban the sale of non-standard compliant CABLES, that would be an accomplishment.
nintyuk
Don't worry Apple fans! You will still need to buy special Apple branded usb-c cables otherwise it will only allow slow charging and slow transfer speed. This is due to the Apple secure chip that tells the phone it's a genuine Apple cable and not because of any actual difference in cable construction or quality.
JasSingh685
Huh? I literally just bought a generic UGreen USB-C cable and I get the same charging speed as my original. And data transfer is significantly faster with UGreen.
AimingForAdorkable
Fuck, is THAT WHY the Apple ones work better???
nintyuk
Yep, Apple refuses to just relent and conform to industry standards. They just HAVE to nickel and dime their customers to make sure they stay in their ecosystem. "Apple is better so why try or buy anything else?"
dishonor
I'm for the standardization but an apple port is easier to keep clean than a USB c. Mine gets packed with so much lint its ready for muster
ispendtomuchtimehere
how hard was that?
ItsCaptain0bvious
Not remotely hard considering that the EU consists of a bunch of countries and making a decision like implies that they had to discuss/negotiate with basically every manufacturer who is active in these countries.
swedeonamoose
As with most things EU took some years to get done, also Apple made a fuss about it
holstery
and the EU still managed to beat the rest of the world to it.
ILuvMyUserName
Yeah, the data protection rules and online consumer protection/business conduct, took ages but we got here and more to come...
swedeonamoose
Hope next is standardized repair parts for cars, there being like 100s of different fan belts is just silly tbh.
ItsCaptain0bvious
Yes, but let's not forget that this is a minor upgrade and the logical next move, coming from the earlier version of USB. It's been a long time since the proprietary Nokia, SonyEricsson, etc. chargers were killed when the EU "told" manufacturers to get their shit together. Remember this mess?
swedeonamoose
Think i had 3 Ericsson phones and they all used slightly different chargers =_=
klon55mobile
10 years
vetteritt64
Takes only 15 years😁
SterlingArcherSecretAgent
Anything 100w or less.
CptCaboose
Usb-c can reach 240W
SterlingArcherSecretAgent
I'm just quoting the rules. The rules doesn't apply above 100w.
Grimmrog
Apple right now:our new Iphone requires 101w chargers.
Nalianna
Apple changes their power requirements to 101 watts upon realising this
MeFiskmas
My laptop wants a 135W charger. But i guess you can team them.
SterlingArcherSecretAgent
My laptop uses a 300w charger. The rules REQUIRING to use USB only apply up to 100w though - but it is allowed to use USB for higher demands as well, of course.
CptCaboose
My laptop has a usb-c 135W charger.
SergeyPrkl
HP and Dell laptops have even 180W USB-C chargers. Wild. The idea is that it doesn't operate on single fixed volt like previous USB. USB-C Power Delivery up to 240 W (48 V, 5 A). Quite a lot for small devices.
SterlingArcherSecretAgent
The rule is that it is REQUIRED for up to 100w to use USB. Not that above 100w is not allowed, but above 100w it's not REQUIRED to use USB to power it.
AyrA
I have a bench power supply that uses USB-C. Fits into my palm and goes up to 30V@5A. Devices are a lot smaller if the entire power switching circuitery is not part of the device
lightfoot2
Nice, however USB-C is terrible for power to laptops. The jack lasts for about 4 years, then the laptop goes in the trash. Bad
speedfloyd
You dumping your laptop because of a broken port is a you-problem
lightfoot2
Not being able to charge the laptop=non-usable laptop.
vegivamp
In recent years, people have been this fantastic, heretofore unheard of concept. It's called "fixing shit".
friendsofsandwiches
you KNOW...you can always just...get that repaired. right?
lightfoot2
Difficult. The USB C plug is a screaming BEAR to try and replace. A stock IBM plug is simple by comparison.
ongabonga
Gotta let them find out. Sorry about the downvotes, but you are absolutely correct. It's a terrible connector and when it breaks there is often no fixing the device
lightfoot2
Not a problem. I just blocked yet another person for turning this from a simple discussion into a "whining" post, IE: Your average Imgur shit-troll. Thank you for being reasonable and polite, we need more of that and less shit comments around here.
ongabonga
I agree
MinistryOfSillyTalks
Usually it's just in need of some good cleaning. Also don't laptops often accept charging through several type-c ports?
lightfoot2
There are usually two. I am starting on the second one 3 years in on my Thinkpad Carbon X1. Got another 2-3 years tops.
vegivamp
Yet here I am, with a T-950 that has seen almost 5 years of daily use, and it's still working perfectly fine.
Your single anecdote is worth exactly that: one lone datapoint, utterly useless for just about anything except baseless whining.
lightfoot2
And your single anecdote is the same. I work with a company that uses tens of thousands of these. USB C is a problem and a step down from IBM's previous power plug.
Unfortunately you also took this from a simple statement of fact into a nasty thread of posts including "whining". You're a troll, and also a waste of time, blocked.
MinistryOfSillyTalks
I for one do not miss those barrel connectors one bit. The square proprietary Lenovo connector was sturdy and a neat idea but type-c allows you to use any charger anywhere. "Hey I'm coming over, does your charger do 100w? Cool, less stuff to carry!" And wait till you see these in busses and trains for example.
MinistryOfSillyTalks
And yes type-c is a compromise. It's weak and flimsy because it has to be small. Yet the most recent phone I used for 5 years and every day I plugged it in for charging and I never had an issue. Not all the connectors within the standard are the same and I wouldn't be surprised if Lenovo used the absolute cheapest connectors to sell more laptops.
lightfoot2
No Lenovo uses high quality stuff on the Thinkpads. And there is a steel reinforcing bracket on it as well (I fix these). The problem is just that USBc has a lot of pins, those pins can bend/flex, and the socket can come loose which means the pins don't make good contact and corrode over time. Laptops are tough since you work on the thing all day with it plugged in so the plug moves around a lot. Oh well, this is life...
DJOldguy
Yep and didn't Apple throw a real tantrum over that decision.... fuck 'em, crap anyway.
kitterskills
Yes, Apple did. And fuck em. But they're not crap IMO.
digiorno88
How can they charge people more if everyone has the same plug? It's a loss of profits for them
bound4doom
Oh you do know you need to replace all your USB-C cables now? Seriously, Some USB cable only support power not data, some only support 5 watts while other support 65 watts charging again with and without data. Then there are different data speeds. Pretty much all USB C cables you have now are out dated and need replaced. If you do not know what your cabled can do then well you can buy a tester. Oh and only the best most expensive cables now support Thunderbolt 4, but 5 comes out soon.
Clayman8
There was that but i also remember something about being forbidden to sell their trash without charging cables/plugs the way they wanted to. Like youd buy a phone, but had no cable or plug to charge it and needed to buy it separately and the EU just basically said "you fuck off with that, its full package or get out".
G0MeatCube
Well Steve's gone..
Manhoarder
Booo hooo, oh noo, a corporation has to actually listen to a government rather than the other way around for once? Cry me a river, apple, you lobbyist raging homophobic war oligarchs.
Snowbourne
Regardless, Apple, while using the USB-C connector, still releases devices running at USB2.0 speeds (released April 2000).
Because fuck consumers in the name of malicious compliance.
GiantFlyingLabia
My brand new Macbook Pro supports USB4. Which devices are you talking about here?
Snowbourne
iPhone 16 (non-Pro).
GiantFlyingLabia
I mean, I wouldn’t advocate for using such old tech in anything but on the other hand I don’t think I’ve been on iPhone for 4 years and have used USB data transfer zero times.
Snowbourne
I'd say it's not even saving on costs.
USB3 came in 2008, 3.1 in 2013 and 3.2 in 2017.
USB3 introduced the Type-C connector iirc.
xj4low
Don't forget that Sony had proprietary plugs for years before apple.
VR6C
So had everyone else, my Nokia or my Ericsson had different plugs for charging or data
beeeeeeerkaaaaa
A lot of apple users missed that and thought converting to USB C was an apple innovation.
TruthSlap
There's an apple commercial bragging about the "exciting new change" so.. Critical thinking was never a big part of their cult
EldraziTitan
Sheep gonna do what sheep do.
beeeeeeerkaaaaa
Bleet and poo?
ItTookMeAGoodWhileToComeUpWithAUsername
I mean all I can find is this:
“While acknowledging the shift Joswiak signaled the company wasn’t overly enthused by the fact that it was being forced to do so by EU lawmakers, noting over a billion people already have devices that use Apple’s Lightning chargers.”
I don’t think they would’ve thrown a big tantrum because they will still make great money anyhow.
avastmehearty
My iPhone has a Lightning charger port, it wore out quickly and now I can only charge using the wireless charger puck. I hope USB C is more durable than Lightning
0570
They've been throwing a tantrum over this for over a decade. They make a lot of money on people needing to replace their proprietary cables due to poorly designed and/or manufactured products. This blog mentions some of the major faults in Apple's charging cables: https://www.szapphone.com/blog/iphone-lightning-charging-cable-lifespan-guide/
ItTookMeAGoodWhileToComeUpWithAUsername
I gotta say I never had any issue. Maybe I am the lucky exception. I’ve had plenty different devices from different brands throughout the years and I guess I just take good care of my equipment as I never had any fail on me.
PirateRubberDuck
How is a standard they introduced after the EU started threatening them a defence?
DJOldguy
Maybe but not the story I heard, apparently there was a shit load of behind the scenes lobbying and threats and all sorts of shit going on. Besides, the change only applied to future models, not existing ones so there was no problem until they had to incorporate the USB-C into their new models. That's what was behind it all as they were not set up for it and don't own the tech....
ItTookMeAGoodWhileToComeUpWithAUsername
So… hearsay with the source “trust me bro”? ^^*
AttilaTheHungover
What are you talking about? My M2 MacBook air has two USB C ports, an a friends MacBook, a few months newer than mine already uses USB C for charging. I know Apple like to do proprietory hardware, but there was no tantrum over this, you're just looking to stir shit.
Grimmrog
No, he is true apple tried to oppose it and talk it down like doind so would hinder innovation and such pseudo claims why unification shouldn't happen.
Hammerwell
Aren't the underlying protocols based on apples thunderbolt?
wadatahmydamie
Yup. It’s an easy way to get points though. People get big mad if you use the wrong consumer goods, even if you use devices from multiple manufacturers.
bamblebimble
The phones were the biggest problem, please don't simo so hard for apple that you miss obvious fact like them fighting against it. It was top news for weeks a long while back.
ItTookMeAGoodWhileToComeUpWithAUsername
Can you find me a link then? I googled and found exactly what I quoted
DJOldguy
How old is it?
ChloeRed
first apple laptop with C was IIRC the 2015 MacBook.
AttilaTheHungover
Early 2022.
alwaysgoodstuffhere
Apple does a ton of lobbying. For example their PR was recyclable and repairable , while they actively lobbied to squash right to repair and recycle scores
kuscheck
The AirPod Max USB-C doesn't support wired listening. The Lightning version does.
vegivamp
And do you know of any technical reason for that or is it just marketing bullshit? Because I sure as fuck don't see any reason.
alwaysgoodstuffhere
There is a trick that some vendors employed to make you think wired listening worked on USBC, the cord requires Bluetooth on, and sends the audio via Bluetooth.
ChloeRed
The MacBook (2015 model) came with USB-C. Only 1, and it was the only power/data port, but yes, Apple's used C for almost a decade.
morningxafter
Yep my 2018 MacBook Pro has 4 USB-C ports and any one of them can be used for charging. It’s not bad. I’m glad they agreed to the switch on the phones though. It’s really nice having all my devices use the same cords.
ILuvMyUserName
Despite the EU's many, many, MANY flaws, it has taken big business to task time and again and thus far has kept the consumer top of the priority pyramid.
ItsCaptain0bvious
Also, in 1997 before e-commerce really took off, the EU were the first to introduce a colossal set of consumer protection regulations, the Distant Selling Act. EU citizens are allowed to return a product they bought online without giving any reason, withing a set period of time, or the fact that every electronic device sold in the EU has to come with a 2Y warranty. Even Apple with their ridiculous 1Y limited warranty have to print (in the smallest font possible): 1/2
ItsCaptain0bvious
"We only give you 1Y but yeah, EU says 2Y so I guess you have 2Y over here". https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A31997L0007
The11thPlague
There are also many MANY positives. A single country in the EU cannot stand up to the USA or to China. It looks like the EU, as a group, can barely resist to Russia. Divided we fall. That's why the want to dismantle it.
x3mxs
I am not quite sure what the max power is on these cables, though.... My current work laptop is a bit of a monster and it's got a (I think) 200W PSU... It can be trickle charged by USBc but no way will allow me to run it in this way.. it wants the full fat, full sugar, high caffeine charger with the barrel connector
The11thPlague
It can have its own thing. There's a power limit above which you can choose to use a different connection. And a power limit above which you pretty much have to use a different connection.
mbiella
My laptop runs on 165W power supply via USB-C
x3mxs
I have never seen a single charger that powerful!!! Wow!
What brand is it, if I might ask?
mbiella
HP. Alomost standard on high-end mobile workstations. Usually from 150 to 165W.
x3mxs
Thank you!
Interesting!
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
And than they turn around and do the bottle cap nonsense.
Sipulikeitto
Do you even know why bottlecaps were chosen for that? They researched the plastic trash in the ocean and environment and found out that bottle caps were the the top of the list of single trash items everywhere. Thus, single out one issue at a time and it starts to make a difference.
AimingForAdorkable
I’m not saying I don’t believe you.
& not saying that I don’t support the concept. I do.
But I don’t think bottle caps are the *top* of the list. I don’t doubt they’re up there.
Hmm. I wonder if many bottle caps were found, because of their survivability & durability—(thick, resistant, small enough to bounce around easily)—
verses much other types of plastic trash, that there could be more of out there in technically mass, but it disintegrates faster.
Into micro plastics.
Like plastic bags.
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
Aha, and what percentage of total ocean plastic was this?
Sipulikeitto
HA! I lied!! EU Directive 2019/904 (OJ L 155, 12.6.2019, p. 1) was just created just to annoy you personally.
vegivamp
So you have no fucking clue then, got it.
Sipulikeitto
Unprompted use of Google might open your world too. Try it sometimes and try to research things before whining and crying when nobody will give you pre chewed social media answers. Live and learn I guess.
friendsofsandwiches
wait...what?
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
This fucking thing. Useless, anoying, not actualy significaltly contributing to reducing plastic polution.
Bonsaipanda
It's an accessibility thing, not a pollution issue.
PeterTried
Those are really annoying. I have to tear the cap off, it always ends up in the stream. Sharp edges remain. Very hard with drink cartons. Most useless regulation ever.
Even the Techno Viking put the cap back after taking a sip, check it out.
friendsofsandwiches
well...I can kinda see WHY they did it, it keeps the cap WITH the plastic, thus, when recycled, the cap is not left by the wayside, littering up the place. Doesn't always work, but it does better than not having it on.
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
Yeah, because most of the plastic in the waterways and enviorment are bottle caps... /s
idonthaveauser
Were lose bottle caps ever an actual issue? It seems to be a problem nobody knew existed. Where are the numbers?
Lewd4D
If you go garbage collecting you will probably find fat more bottle caps than bottles.
speedfloyd
And also not that big of a deal, actually..
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
It efects everyone every day. Baning private jets would efect a smal number of people a small amount of time and contribute much more. Alowing France to completly bann domestic flights within Metropolutan would do much more. Fucking stopping the summer time nonsense would do more and be actualy benifitial zo the people.
teknojo
Why not both?