The back of your iPhone is about to get a little more minimalist.
Thanks to a new bill introduced in the Senate, manufacturers may soon be allowed to use digital stamps on smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets, instead of using the strange symbols etched onto the back of your iPhone.
Since its introduction in 2007, the iPhone has included etchings of the weird government-mandated hieroglyphs on the back of devices, next to the iPhone logo and “Designed by Apple in California,” even though pretty much no one (other than government regulators) could tell you what they mean.
The symbols do provide important information regarding proper disposal and trade regulations, but the E-Label Act bill introduced in the Senate on Thursday would let OEMs have more flexibility on how they comply with US regulations. Marks like the FCC ID number could soon be displayed on the screen, rather than the back exterior, but other markings like “CE” for products sold in Europe will remain visible unless laws in Europe change as well.
Proponents of the bill say it would save manufacturers time and money when complying with regulations, that could then be passed onto consumers, but all Apple and Jony Ive are likely to care about is that they’re finally about to have pristine iPhones, that aren’t splotched by the archaic symbols of the government.
Via: The Verge