Apple may be forced to abandon its proprietary 30-pin dock charger (shown above) if European politicians get their way.
Members of the European Parliament’s internal market committee on
Thursday voted unanimously for a new law mandating a universal mobile
phone charger. The MEPs want all radio equipment devices and their
accessories, such as chargers, to be interoperable to cut down on
electronic waste.
German MEP Barbara Weiler said she wanted to see an end to “cable chaos”.
This is not the first attempt to set a standard for universal phone
chargers. In 2009 the European Commission, the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) and leading mobile phone manufacturers
drew up a voluntary agreement based on the micro USB connector.
However Apple, which sold nine million units of the iPhone 5s and 5c in
just three days last week, has not adhered to the agreement despite
signing up.
The draft law also lays down rules for other radio equipment, such as
car door openers or modems, to ensure that they do not interfere with
each other. The committee also cut some red tape, by deleting a rule
that would have required manufacturers to register certain categories of
devices before placing them on the market.
The committee is now expected to begin informal negotiations with the
European Council in order to move the legislative process along quickly.