EU Gets Phone Makers to Adopt micro-USB Charger Standard
10:02 am, June 29th, 2009, Lonnie Lazar
Micro USB Chargers will be standard for European smartphones
UPDATE: The headline and photograph in this article have been updated to correctly state the standard agreed to by the handset makers referenced in the story.
Major cell phone handset makers including Apple, Nokia and Research in Motion (RIM) have agreed to back a European Union initiative to support standard device chargers that will charge any phone through a micro-USB port, according to a Reuters report Monday.
The agreement among 10 companies controlling 90% of the cell phone market in Europe calls for phones compatible with standard charging devices to be available in Europe beginning next year, according to EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, who said, “People will [no longer] have to throw away their charger whenever they buy a new phone.”
At its inception, the agreement applies only to data-enabled smartphones, perhaps the fastest growing segment of the mobile handset market, and will affect only devices produced for use in Europe.
Verheugen hailed the agreement as a boon for consumers as well as the environment and estimated it will help reduce tons of eWaste generated annually by consumers.
Significant unanswered questions remain: what took them so long, and where is the rest of the world in this deal? Do device manufacturers have to be cajoled by regulatory bodies continent by continent to adopt a standard that should have been in place at least a decade ago?
Posted by Lonnie Lazar in Apple, Hardware, News | Comment on this article
You do realize that there’s a difference between MINI-usb (shown in your picture) and MICRO-usb, right?
Tom S, on June 29th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I knew the difference between a micro and a mini SKIRT, but not, apparently between the micro and the mini USB. Thanks for the catch, Tom S.
Lonnie Lazar, on June 29th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Sounds like a good idea — in theory. You wont have to throw away your old charger when you buy a new phone, so does that mean that new phones wont come with a charger, because they will assume you already have one? If it does come with a new charger, do you just stick the old one in a box in the attic somewhere? Regardless of whether all the chargers use the same standard plug or not is moot if every phone comes with a charger. We’re still manufacturing just as much product and creating just as much waste. If I’m missing something, please let me know.
Daniel Flick, on June 29th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Stand by for Apple to release an adapter to the iPhone Dock Connector. Price? $19.95 of course!
Stana2z, on June 29th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Let’s talk about THE OTHER END of the charger – the socket plug. It’s American standard, not European! OK, UK has it’s own standard, but the rest of Europe is pretty much standard on their 220-230V sockets. Get your pictures straight!
+ simonas, on June 29th, 2009 at 1:09 pm