Apple, others agree to universal cell phone charger standard in Europe
Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal cell phone chargers starting next year.
Side by side view of a micro-USB connector and a regular USB connector.
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connections for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.
In February the GSMA, a trade association for mobile carriers using GSM technology, said it had brokered a deal with handset makers to get the micro-USB technology into cell phone chargers by 2012. And the CTIA, the U.S. wireless trade association, backed the standard in April of this year.
The initiative has many advantages. For one it makes it much easier for consumers who no longer have to worry about losing their one and only cell phone charger. It also cuts down on waste since people can reuse their cell phone chargers when they get a new phone. Even though some cell phone manufacturers were reluctant to give up their proprietary cell phone chargers for fear that it would make it easier for customers to switch to new phones from competitors, eventually standardizing on one technology will help these manufacturers reduce costs.
While companies such as Nokia have already been using micro-USB connectors on some of its phones, it's surprising that Apple has joined the group. The company, which has seen great success with its iPhones, uses its own Dock Connector for the iPhone and other iPod devices. The company has licensed the connector technology to accessory makers, and there are thousands of third party products on the market that uses the Apple connector. Apple had not been listed as a company in February that backed the GSMA initiative for universal cell phone chargers.
It's not clear yet if Apple will only include the micro USB adapter in Europe or if it will include the micro-USB connector in addition to its own Dock Connector.
Sony Ericsson, one of the companies that had previously insisted on its own proprietary charging technology, now believes it will benefit the company because it will eventually lower packaging and shipping costs. The company also sees the initiative as another way to help it reduce its overall carbon footprint.
"We see the universal cell phone chargers as a good thing for us and the industry," said Jon Mulder, head of product marketing in the U.S. for Sony Ericsson. "We are also planning to take manuals out of our packaging and instead use e-manuals that will be right on the devices to help reduce waste."
It's estimated that there are 400 million mobile phones in Europe, and roughly 185 million phones are sold in Europe each year. The new EU requirement will only apply to more sophisticated data-enabled phones, which includes smartphones and higher end feature phones. These phones make up the fastest growing segment of the mobile market, and it's expected that over half of all new phones sold in 2010 will fall in this category.
The hope is that within three to four years all the data-enabled phones in Europe will be using the standardized chargers, the Commission has said.
The standardized chargers will be compatible only with European phones. But it is likely to become standard in other markets as well.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
In fact, even with most cell phones deciding this standard a long time ago, only until Apple does this, is it innovative and a good idea!
(If you don't understand the sarcasm, you're more than likely an iphone or mac user)
I don't know how much it'll save though. All technology eventually changes, and when the micro-USB does become obsolete, all of those cord are going to get thrown out anyway.
Here's a little tip for anyone who loses their micro-USB or any other cord widely used. Go to a local hotel and act like a guest. Go up to the front desk and tell them you left your cord at home and want to know if they have one in lost and found you can borrow. Hotels usually have so many phone cordss in lost and found that they'll usually just tell you to keep it!
The market has brought us a huge variety of cell phones, not to mention the USB system, and lithium-ion batteries To say the free market is failure because cell phone charger plugs (charger plugs!) haven't been standardized is nonsense.
I thought so.
More truthful would be these companies feared losing the high margin they receive selling new chargers with new phones.
Apple will probably add a micro USB port in the side of the iPhone. I doubt they'll get rid of the iPod dock connector. I also doubt they'll manufacture a different iPhone for Europe; they'll just add that to all the iPhones.
Why isn't it the "most advanced country" in the world that is doing it? Why is the U.S. always seem to be the one that needs to reign its businesses in?
Let's here it for capitalism!!! Screw common sense, profit before morality!
Nice handle. Thanks for the warning.
Ever read the U.S. Constitution? Ever wonder what "general Welfare" meant? It means that government is going to look out for the general welfare of the populace. That can include things like mandates that eliminate waste, or to make roads, or ensure clean water... stuff like that.
This would be actual worthwhile news if it were happening here in the USA.
Until then....
Parallels here could be drawn to the apathy and inevitable decline of The Big Three automakers for thinking the same way.
This would be actual worthwhile news if it were happening here in the USA.
Until then....
Would it be worth a company not embedding the usb in the device rather than supplying a dock block? Either way you just need to carry your dock block with the device and you can still use anyones charger, and keep your charger when getting a new phone.
Surprising is a huge understatement. Unbelievable is more like it.
Seriously you guys take things too far. The ideal is to standardize a connector. Remember RJ11/45? They were not always the standard for Phone/Ethernet. How about the 5-15R, 5-20R, C13, and C14 connectors on the ends of electrical cords? Sure there are financial implications to any standardization process, but ultimately it will make it a lot easier to have a charger in the kitchen, office, and bedroom for the 2-3 mobile phones in many households today. It also adds recycling through delayed obsolescence. Now if they stop including chargers as part of the inital purchase (see printer cables) that is an annoying decision but it is in no way a detriment to the concepts of capitalism and free trade. And while it may be ethically questionable to ding the customer for a needed component it is not a issue of morality. It is after all a cell phone which is not exactly a basic necessity. Mankind lived for many centuries without phones, wired or not.
Of all of the phones that I've had over the years, the ONLY ones that ever had issues with the power charging "port" were those with MicroUSB. that connector is far from robust, can't be done properly in a "dock" and in general sucks.
But hey, we have to protect people against someone charging an extra couple of bucks for an extra power adapter. Like someone else said, who among us really has cared enough to choose a phone because of the power adapter? Really?
All well and good, maybe some people do care. But that won't address that they picked an inferior connector technology that leaves out many of the features that people do care about. The MicroUSB is a piece of junk, has only 4 wires (as do all USB connectors) so we will end up with multiple connectors on the phones. I'd much rather have an integrated, well designed, robust connector than worry about spending an extra $10 on a new charger.
And if you're so worried about it, try one of the chargers with the removable tips that Radio Shack sells. More expensive, but when you replace you only have to buy the tip.
- by bluemist9999 June 30, 2009 11:00 AM PDT
- I like the idea of being able to re-use a car charger, rather than constantly having to buy another car charger.
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- by Seaspray0 June 30, 2009 2:56 PM PDT
- I hope you are correct. I would like to see a standardized charger jack. It would reduce my costs. I don't like the idea that everytime I get a different phone, I have to get a new charger for the car. It would also be convenient should a friend need to charge their phone while riding with me.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (45 Comments)As it was, even buying a different cell phone from the same manufacturer (i.e. LG) often required a new charger. That was just very confusing and wasteful.
Even though I live in the States, I'm glad the EU made the cell phones use a single standard port. The change should benefit those who live in the States as well, since it would be more costly to make a custom "proprietary connector" US-only version.