EU Warns Apple About Limiting Speeds of Uncertified USB-C Cables for iPhones - S...
source link: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/23/05/05/1647239/eu-warns-apple-about-limiting-speeds-of-uncertified-usb-c-cables-for-iphones
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EU Warns Apple About Limiting Speeds of Uncertified USB-C Cables for iPhones
An anonymous reader shares a report: Last year, the EU passed legislation that will require the iPhone and many other devices with wired charging to be equipped with a USB-C port in order to be sold in the region. Apple has until December 28, 2024 to adhere to the law, but the switch from Lightning to USB-C is expected to happen with iPhone 15 models later this year. It was rumored in February that Apple may be planning to limit charging speeds and other functionality of USB-C cables that are not certified under its "Made for iPhone" program. Like the Lightning port on existing iPhones, a small chip inside the USB-C port on iPhone 15 models would confirm the authenticity of the USB-C cable connected. "I believe Apple will optimize the fast charging performance of MFi-certified chargers for the iPhone 15," Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March. In response to this rumor, European Commissioner Thierry Breton has sent Apple a letter warning the company that limiting the functionality of USB-C cables would not be permitted and would prevent iPhones from being sold in the EU when the law goes into effect, according to German newspaper Die Zeit. The letter was obtained by German press agency DPA, and the report says the EU also warned Apple during a meeting in mid-March.
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I appreciate a politician that pre-emptively tells a company 'Don't Do Stupid!'
In the US, everyone would wait until the product was delivered, then a manure pile of complaints, then a congresscritter or two has to have a blue-ribbon-fact-finding-committee setup, then the DOJ, consumer agencies, etc. to finally say - You Did Stupid! We're going to fine you $10 and parking costs.
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Yep. The only reason cell phone companies standardized on micro usb was because the EU made them. https://www.engadget.com/2010-... [engadget.com]
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Europe understands how important standards are to consumers and competition.
I do think Apple should be allowed to display a warning if a non-verified brand is plugged in, though. If apple checks say the top 10 brands of cables, then it probably will not cause significant problems for consumers. Apple wants to sell quality, and so I can see how they want to limit riff-raff cables. A gentle warning message can do that.
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Apple does not care about cable quality (as their own worthless cables exemplify). They care about money.
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This. The robustness of Apple's Lightning cables leaves much to be desired. And prior to USB-C, the robustness of their MagSafe charger cables was also awful. At least now you can replace only the cable instead of the whole eighty-dollar brick.
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My cat can short the two wires inside a magsafe cable with a single chomp and barely leave a mark. It cost me a fortune before I figured out what was happening.
The plastic insulator that separates positive from negative inside the cable is garbage,
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^This exactly
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Well, seeing as the EU keeps up their standards pretty well... I imagine it won't take long after a new standard is invented/needed. In the relatively recent history of the EU, they update regulation standards like these fairly, well, regularly.
Not to mention, Apple was supposed to switch to USB over a decade ago, before USB-C, and before this demand, but gave everyone the middle finger instead. Why? Because Apple wouldn't make money off USB cables and accessories that have a 500+% markup.
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In everything but their high-volume models. Wonder why. *cough*licensingfees*cough*
Apple started switching to USB-C eight years ago. The Intel transition took only 1.5 years. With the sole exception of the Mac Pro, the transition to Apple Silicon took under three years. So for an Apple "migration" to take 8 years means that Apple doesn't want to do the transition. Just saying.
They screamed on laptops because USB-C doesn't adequately replace everything. It can't replace MagSafe, because USB-C magnetic
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That doesn't seem likely because I recall that being commonplace all the way back in 2008. Literally every android phone I've ever owned has been USB, and a few flip phones before then (though mini-USB for them) meanwhile Apple still to this date hasn't made a single USB based phone.
You're likely full of shit on this one as the article you linked doesn't even claim that.
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This is the USB jungle. Different specs, sizes, capability. Anywhere from 5 to 20. If you buy a cheap cable is it USB or just a look alike.
I think it is valid to ask if the Apple standard is just a gimmick or a necessary step to level the USB jungle. I am all for USB on all mobile devices, including laptops no more proprietary charging bricks. But we do need reliable standards.
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The one thing that is good about cables being part of Apples MFi spec is that they would be up to some quality level. USB-C cables are all over the place. Be it crappy cables that only transfer power and can't do power negotiation, cables which allow data, cables which allow higher rates of charge, all the way to Thunderbolt rated cables which work both with USB-C and Thunderbolt with all the proper signaling and wire quality.
Apple would be doing all of us a favor if the MFi rated USB C cables were a guar
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This would be a good take if Apple automatically meant quality products. Unfortunately, Apple products are almost always on the lower side of quality and almost always useless outside their ecosystem.
Are USB-C cables all over the place? Yes. Because not all devices need (or can even handle) 25A quick charging. Some devices don't need power transfer at all. Some devices only need power and have no data. So, it makes complete sense that there are lot of different cables out there - especially when devices usu
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It does not... most laymen assume that if the plug fits in the hole, it will do the job. Different capabilities on cables with the exact same connector causes all sorts of issues.
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Outside of the end-user possibly being mildly inconvenienced and annoyed, and especially when talking about USB-C, there are no issues caused by the cable itself. The power source on the other end is a different issue.
You plug a power only cable in between devices you want to transfer data between? Data doesn't transfer, nothing bad happens.
You plug a data only cable into a device to transfer power? Device doesn't charge, nothing bad happens.However,
You plug a low-power power device that charges between 2A- -
These are the same people who assume all extension cords are the same because the end plugs are the same, and then wonder why there was an electrical fire. There are many people who know better and realize that different cables are made for different use cases.
For extension cords, the Apple solution would be a single Apple-certified cord that always works, is 10x the price, and doesn't work with non-Apple devices. The Apple solution is to pay Apple more money and forget about buying non-Apple devices.
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It would be the same. Apple would get the warninf, and they would take stock- have they bribed enough politicians? They will end up in court, what do the lawyers say?
Now, it could very well be that in the USA the corruption has the day, and in the EU the bureaucrat is victorious- but the actual analysis will he the same, Apple may just come to a different conclusion in the EU case.
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Possibly, but I'm very nervous about politicians micromanaging technical decisions.
It could very well be that this is a certification cash grab on the part of Apple.
It could also be that in order to get maximum fast charging the phone needs to trust the cable a bit, and if the cable is untrustworthy attempting that degree of fast charging could damage the phone or battery.
I don't know which scenario is closer to the truth, does the EU commissioner? I'm not convinced.
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In this case, it's a cash grab plus an obsessive need to control.
The old (pre usb-c) cables were a mess. usb-c has very specific requirements. In the first few years of usb-c a lot of companies ignored those requirements (just like they ignored the pre usb-c requirements). But that caused problems (you do NOT want to send 20V over a cable designed for 5V) and the cable-makers got better. Nowadays even cheap cables follow the specs, so you can query the cable and send a safe amount of power down it (thou
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In the US, politicians would propose legislation to make the company do the right thing, while waiting for bribes from said company. Once the bribes have been paid, then the legislation would quietly die. Bribery of politicians is perfectly legal in Amerika, SCOTUS made it legal.
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