Universal charger, the price Apple pays the competition

Can a tweet explain more than many words? Yes, it happens sometimes. The one of the EU Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, dated 23 September 2021, tells a lot about the battle for the universal charger, on which today the negotiators of the Council and the European Parliament have reached an agreement. A decision that weighs especially on Apple, which is fond of its ad hoc produced and patented sockets. Here is a small revolution in our daily lives! Our proposal for a common charger for mobile phones and other devices was adopted today. No more entangled cables in our hallway drawers #DigitalEU #EndChargerChaos pic.twitter.com/hmLN5vCi2P— Margrethe Vestager (@vestager) September 23, 2021 In the tweet a direct communication register was used, with a Gif to show two photos: in the first the inspector was holding a tangle of cables, in the second a single cable, with the words before and after to seal the change of pace. It is a case of school, in which competition and consumer protection collide against a dominant position and come to impose a change which for the brand founded by Steve Jobs means a revolution and also a potential loss of revenues. The battery charger market, already affected by the massive arrival of commercial products to supplant the original ones, is destined to represent a negative entry for Apple in the turnover box. By moving from its proprietary solution, which is called Lightning, to a conventional USB-C port, Apple loses some control over the aftermarket, where manufacturers have so far paid for a license, undergoing a rigorous authorization process to obtain certification from. However, the Cupertino-based company has been active in the search for a solution for some time and, according to reports from the specialized press, is already experimenting with the introduction of a USB-C port on the next iPhone models, which could be present on the new devices starting next year. Anticipating the obligation that with the new directive is triggered starting from 2024, when all small-medium sized electronic devices sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB-C type port, to avoid the multiplication of standards and battery chargers , which generates mountains of electronic junk. It will take time and money. It is the price to be paid to competition and consumer protection. And even Apple has to adapt.