14 DAY TRIAL // A European Union (EU) Parliament committee has decided that phone chargers should be universal, and Apple – with its Lightning connector – is one of their hottest targets.
German European Parliament Member Barbara Weiler suggests a tipping point has been reached where proprietary cables are causing more harm than good.
“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,” she said.
If the European Council passes the proposal, and the Parliament creates the law, Apple would be forced to replace its proprietary Lightning spec with regular microUSB plugs.
Needless to point out, this would spell a huge loss in profits not only for the Cupertino giant, but also third-party accessory makers, some of which have their entire businesses centered around proprietary Apple ports.
Editor’s note Apple, however, could have an ace up its sleeve. If the company can prove its powerful hardware requires more advanced connectors (i.e. more pins, better materials), it might be left out of the decision.
One of the touted benefits of the Lightning connector is, in fact, that it enables the user to plug in the port without worrying about its orientation. microUSB plugs only one way.
Finally, even if Apple does end up using the microUSB specification, the company would probably still sell its own cables, wanting to retain some design elements (i.e. the white color).
This isn’t said in any of the reports, but the EU’s discussions may have been influenced by the recent tragedy incurred by a Chinese family whose daughter, Ma Aliun, was electrocuted and subsequently died because she’d used a knockoff iPhone charger.
Implementing the new microUSB standard would be another step backwards for Apple in its attempt to keep customers out of harm’s way.