A little over a week ago, the European Union reached an agreement that will require hardware manufacturers to adopt a common charging standard by the year 2024. The United States should follow in the footsteps of three Democratic senators who sent an open letter to the Commerce Secretary.
Consumer frustration, costs, and an increase in e-waste are all noted in a letter signed by Vermont's senator and two others. Around 11,000 tons of e-waste a year is accounted for by the chargers alone, according to the letter.
The policy has the potential to reduce e-waste and help consumers who are tired of having to wade through junk drawers full of tangled chargers to find a compatible one, or buy a new one. The EU took on powerful technology companies in the public interest. The US should follow suit.
Many manufacturers across the industry have adopted theusb-c Some holdouts still use older standards such as micro-USB or rely on their own ports. The most well-known example of the latter is Apple. The company's phones still have the first-party Lightning cable, even though it has adopted theusb-c standard.
The company would need to move to the new technology. The upcoming iPhone 14 is rumored to have a Lightning port, while next year's Pro models are rumored to have ausb-c port.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
