The European Commission is trying to push towards a landscape where phone chargers are universal – and this has led to some wondering what the impact would be on companies like Apple who tend to use proprietary charging solutions. Recently, Apple responded to the commission’s comments by suggesting regulation would “harm consumers” and innovation, and it is right... to a degree.
The problem that’s been discussed in the last week is not a new one or one that’s specific to Apple. In fact, the real problem is not even the one that’s being discussed. For years, European officials have tried to do away with the number of chargers in favor of a universal option. The reasoning being consumers shouldn’t have to buy one type of charger just to power one type of device or many devices from the same brand. Besides being a strain on consumer choice, it is also the cause of much waste – something many officials desperately want to reduce. While the charger issue was a major issue when the commission first started calling for change, most devices sold today come with the same charger and a detachable cable. It is the charger European officials have an issue with and not necessarily the cable or the port on a device.
There is still a difference at the port and cable level due to Apple holding on to its Lightning solution (even though mostly everyone else is using USB Type-C cables and connectors), but even this is becoming less of an issue thanks to Apple providing a Lightning to USB Type-C cable in the box with some of its products. In this sense, Apple is already (albeit, slowly) making the transition to USB Type-C as well. Therefore, the market is already moving towards a universal charging solution without the help or need of regulation. What’s more, with wireless charging solutions getting better and being adopted by more consumers each year, charging in the future might not require a traditional charger, cable or port at all. If the recent rumors are anything to go by then Apple might opt for a completely port-free iPhone soon.
Besides the lack of a need of regulation due to the industry self-moving towards one type of charger, Apple raises an important and fundamental point in its anti-regulation statement. In theory, any regulation can stifle innovation. Better battery life continues to be a major selling point and companies are always trying to find the best way to deliver the best battery-saving technology or the fastest charging speeds by developing their own proprietary solutions. While most of the current solutions are software-based and therefore would not necessarily be affected by any regulation, the battery software race acts as a powerful example of how great the competition is in the phone battery space. Any regulation in this sense, be it at the cable, connector or charger level, would stop manufacturers from focusing on improving the status quo.
With the market converging on USB Type-C and/or wireless charging naturally, the real effect of regulation would be on the millions of devices that are already in circulation. With so many older devices already requiring proprietary solutions, it is those customers who would be hit the hardest by regulation. This is another point Apple touches on in its statement as the company already sells plenty of accessories and other after-purchase products that would immediately become obsolete. Those customers with existing phones requiring those additional products would effectively be left out in the cold and forced to upgrade. Although this will be a short-term issue and for the greater long-term good, if any regulation was to take place then it probably should have happened five or ten years ago instead of letting the industry and Apple self-regulate up until now.
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