Apple criticizes the European Union for trying to unify smartphone charging connectors

The European Union has recently started developing an initiative in an effort to standardize a single type of charging connector for all types of smartphones and similar devices. The European Commission, which is the executive body of the EU, is currently considering legislative steps that should lead to a reduction in e-waste. The previous call for voluntary participation in this activity did not meet with the desired result.

European lawmakers have complained that users are often forced to carry different chargers for similar devices. While many mobile devices are equipped with a microUSB or USB-C connector, smartphones and some tablets from Apple have a Lightning connector. But Apple does not like the European Union's efforts to unify connectors:"We believe that regulation that forces a unified connector for all smartphones stifles innovation instead of driving it," said Apple in its official statement on Thursday, where it further added that the result of the EU effort could "harm customers with Europe and the economy as a whole".

The activities of the European Union, developed in an effort to unify connectors for mobile devices, are part of the effort to comply with the so-called "Green Deal", concluded by twenty-eight member states. This is a package of measures, introduced in December last year, and its goal is to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050. According to forecasts, the volume of e-waste could increase to more than 12 million tons this year, which the EU is trying to prevent. According to the European Parliament, the amount of cables and chargers produced and thrown away every year is "simply unacceptable".

Apple has a mixed relationship with the European Union. Tim Cook, for example, has repeatedly singled out the EU for the GDPR regulation and is striving for similar rules to come into force in the United States as well. However, the Cupertino company had problems with the European Commission due to unpaid taxes in Ireland, it also filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission last year the Spotify company.

Source: Bloomberg