The European Commission presented the current legislative intentions in September, but the EU’s efforts to compel manufacturers to utilize a unified billing standard date back more than a decade. In the years afterward, Android manufacturers have settled on micro USB and subsequently USB-C as the preferred charging standard, while Apple has transitioned from supplying phones with its proprietary 30-pin connector to Lightning.
Apple has resisted the EU’s efforts to compel it to utilize USB-C on its phones. “We continue to be worried that rigid legislation mandating only one type of connector stifles rather than encourages innovation, which would affect consumers in Europe and around the world,” a spokeswoman said. It’s also been argued that mandating conversion to USB-C will increase rather than decrease e-waste because it would render its existing ecosystem of Lightning accessories obsolete.
