“Apple could be forced to scrap its iPhone chargers under EU plans to make a universal phone charger law,” Arjun Kharpal reports for CNET. “Under the proposals, mobile phone manufacturers would have to make devices compatible with the universal charger which would hit companies like Apple who have their own design.”
“Lawmakers in the European Parliament’s consumer protection committee said radio equipment devices and their accessories should be ‘interoperable’ to reduce costs to consumers,” Kharpal reports. “‘We urge member states and manufacturers finally to introduce a universal charger, to put an end to cable chaos for mobile phones and tablet computers,’ said German Member of European Parliament (MEP) Barbara Weiler in a statement.”
“‘The voluntary agreement among manufacturers to produce mobile phones compatible with universal chargers is not delivering its full potential,’ British MEP Malcolm Harbour told CNBC. ‘This (new law) would be of high practical benefit to consumers, delivering furthermore cost savings, as well as reducing electronic waste,'” Kharpal reports. “The consumer committee adopted the proposals unanimously with 35 votes in favor.”
“But Benedict Evans, an analyst at Enders Analysis, said that companies have ‘legitimate reasons’ for using different chargers,” Kharpal reports. “If the rules are adopted into law, it could threaten product design, Evans told CNBC. ‘That outcome would be insane because you are moving away from helping consumers to interfering in product design.’ Apple, one of the main companies that would be hit by this reform, already sells adaptors that would conform to the EU’s demand for Micro-USB chargers, but it is unclear if this would satisfy the rules.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Some busybodies’ propensity for creating needless laws while afflicted with unshakable belief in stifling bureaucracies despite boundless evidence to the contrary boggles the logical mind.
How about you fill the potholes first, you meddlesome PITAs?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]