European officials on Tuesday agreed to the text of a proposed law imposing a standard charger for smartphones, tablets and laptops sold in the bloc, in a blow to Apple.
EU member states and MEPs believe a standard cable for all devices will cut back on electronic waste. However, iPhone juggernaut Apple argues a one-size-fits-all charger would slow innovation and create more pollution.
For most portable devices the requirement for charging via a USB Type-C port will come into effect from late 2024, negotiators said, while laptops will be given more time.
The USB-C rule will also stretch to digital cameras, headphones, headsets, portable speakers and E-readers.
Lawmakers agreed on the common charger based on a proposal that was made by the European Commission in September but came more than a decade after the European Parliament first pushed for it.
The decision will be formally ratified by European Parliament and among the union’s member states later this year before entering into effect.
The union’s industry chief Thierry Breton said the deal would save about 250 million euros ($267 million) for consumers.
The deal could also become a sales driver for Apple in 2024, analysts said, encouraging more Europeans to buy the latest gadgets instead of ones without USB-C. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple is already working on an iPhone with a USB-C charging port that could debut next year.
“It will also allow new technologies, such as wireless charging, to emerge and to mature without letting innovation become a source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience,” Thierry Breton.
That the deal also covers e-readers, earbuds and other technologies means it will also have an impact on Samsung, Huawei and other device makers.
“We are proud that laptops, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, computer mice and portable navigation devices are also included,” lawmaker Alex Agius Saliba, who steered the debate at the European Parliament.
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