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The EU is enforcing USB-C on portable devices

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VK3DRB:
New devices that don't have USB type C charging ports will be banned from the EU in a couple of years. It looks like USB-C will be the world standard in due course, thanks to the EU.

As a result, those doing design like I do will be more convinced to go USB-C from on on, rather than opting for micro USB. The directive will be under the EU's notorious Radio Emissions Directive (CE RED). Apple is protesting that enforcing USB-C will stifle innovation.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220603IPR32196/deal-on-common-charger-reducing-hassle-for-consumers-and-curbing-e-waste

Is this a case of too much government control of our technology, or a commonsense approach to fixing a problem?
Good idea or not?

sleemanj:
Good, more standardisation, better interoperability, less lock-in, less duplication, less e-waste.

I mean you can debate if USB-C is the right connector, but it's the connector we have that can meet the requirements.

Now if they could just mandate batteries that can be replaced with no more tools than a precision screwdriver, that would be great.

ataradov:
I'm for standardization. We'll have to see how hard coding USB-C specifically plays out in a long term, but it would be a while before it gets obsolete.

They talk about charging and it is not clear how it relates to data transfer. There is much more variability with USB-C in that respect. I switched to USB-C for all my stuff and it works fine for USB 2.0-only stuff, which still covers a lot of use cases. But some applications require high bandwidth transfers, and there may be issues here. But on the other hand, everyone would be forced to figure out how to make USB-C work instead of inventing a new thing that is 90% the same as the old thing.

SiliconWizard:
I'm for standardization too, but not for politics meddling with much anything other than safety, so I have mixed feelings about this.

james_s:
I don't like bans, this is definitely one of those cases where I would prefer to let the free market decide. I still have not adopted USB-C and find it annoying when stuff uses that connector as I have SO much older USB 2.0 and 3.0 stuff around. I'm really not a fan, the connector is fragile and gets loose and sloppy after a while and electrically it tries to be too many different things and it is a confusing mess of partial implementations.

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