Daily Authority: EU says USB-C you later 👋

The European Commission in the EU has proposed legislation making USB-C charging mandatory for mobile devices, with a focus on reducing electronic waste. Yes, that means the iPhone is in the crosshairs.

• There’s a pretty good indication that Apple has moved towards USB-C on all of its devices: its Macs and iPads are now, for the most part, based on a USB-C port.
• That’s because it’s better: USB-C cleans the floor with Lightning, with fast charging and much faster data transfer speeds.
• Apple sticking to Lightning has two sides: getting rid of it would mean a bunch of cables become unnecessary, but the longer it leaves its platforms on Lightning, the worse it is for the ecosystem.

Either way, the EU is now looking to put its foot on the pedal and force USB-C:

• The proposal focuses on both the charging port and fast charging technology, which aim to be harmonized.
• There is also a rule to separate the sale of a charger from the sale of the electronic device, with the aim of reducing the number of chargers that accumulate in households.
• An additional element to this is the information: “… producers will need to provide relevant information on charging performance, including information on the power required by the device and whether it supports fast charging.” “
• The overall goal? “USB-C will become the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and portable video game consoles. “

In any case, this is the idea:

• This is a proposed change. This still requires the green light from EU member states and EU lawmakers.
• Then there is a 24-month transition period, which means it will have to wait until 2024 to come into effect.
• And that doesn’t affect devices without a port, which means that an iPhone without a port, which by the way was said to be the iPhone 13, would escape a USB-C switch. Will this push wireless charging devices?
• Oh and one more twist, Apple or anyone could have two ports: a proprietary and a USB-C port.

Apple is crazy, the EU does not care:

• Of course, the counter-argument is that it will stifle innovation. Apple itself said in a statement: “We remain concerned that strict regulations requiring only one type of connector stifle innovation rather than encourage it, which in turn will hurt consumers by stifling innovation. Europe and worldwide.”
• Going through Reuters, the EC says it doesn’t care: Commission industry chief Thierry Breton has rejected Apple’s comments. “I have known these companies for years. Every time we (put forward) a proposal, they start to say “oh, this will be against innovation”. No, it’s not against innovation, it’s not against anyone. Like everything the Commission does, it is for consumers, ”he said.

Reactions? Fierce:

• Benedict Evans called it “deeply stupidAnd “embarrassing,” based on the idea that now innovation beyond USB-C will stop, which is right.
• I’m less scathing since we have to do things that harm the environment less.
• Still, the idea is that if this had happened six years ago, we could all have been stuck on micro-USB as One True Standard.
• So will we be stuck on USB-C even if a new successor format emerges, which is much better?
• I suspect the idea of ​​creating a single connector with really good and ubiquitous open fast charging standards is a good one. But it has a time limit: the law should, at best, be applied for a limited period of time, given the possibilities for innovation.
• I mean, I often think back to my dissatisfaction when Apple went from the giant 30-pin dock connector to the Lightning port in 2012, instantly destroying a bunch of electronics with docks, cables, built-in accessories, etc.
• It was two years before the emergence of USB Type-C, unfortunately.

EV chargers too?

• Let’s face it, the EU is behind on what it admits with apologies: it has been trying since 2009 with voluntary agreements.
• The next big problem is the plugs for charging cables for electric vehicles.
• If you haven’t tried loading one yet, there is no one-size-fits-all standard. There are differences depending on geographic locations, and depending on the manufacturer as well. There are now more or less four common types depending on speed and AC / DC, with variations depending on the manufacturer: Tesla has developed its own adaptation of Type 2, of course, for its compressors which are not suitable for d ‘other cars.
• But standardizing one type of plug now could limit possibilities like speeds and charging characteristics before the market has matured, or complicate efforts like hot-swapping batteries.

👉 Google yesterday announced numerous features for Android, Google TV, Auto, Assistant and Gboard. Some were previously Pixel exclusives like Locked Folder in Google Photos and Heads Up (which I ended up trying on and off, by the way). Big new features include accessibility options, using Android phones to turn on Google TVs, more fun emoji mashups in Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen, updating Google TV and a wider rollout, and much more. more (Android Authority).

📸 Lots of Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro camera features are leaking, here’s what you can expect assuming they’re right (Android Authority).

🎮 Nintendo Direct reveals Mario Movie release date and voice cast including Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, and on the game front, the new Kirby, Mario Party and more, but no news on Breath of The Wild 2 (Android Authority).

Here are the people reacting to Mario’s voice casting: (CNET).

📁 Microsoft says Surface Duo 2 will receive three years of updates (Android Authority).

🍎 It’s iPhone day because the phones are delivered and you can buy them physically. I was wondering if people were still lining up for a new iPhone in these days, and that was a dumb thought of course they do! (Yahoo UK).

⌚ The Apple Watch Series 7 has a secret 60.5 GHz wireless connection for data transfer, for the first time, but that’s only for Apple for now … (9to5Mac).

🔥 Diablo II: Resurrected Impressions appear, and this one touches on the game, and all the non-game issues swirling around Blizzard (Ars Technica).

WSJ’s Facebook Files Are Facebook’s Biggest Crisis Since Cambridge Analytica, In Part Because It’s All Facebook Files and Data (Platform).

⚖ In addition, Facebook paid FTC $ 4.9 billion more than needed to protect Zuckerberg, lawsuit says (Ars Technica).

🚴‍♀️ New York City Passes Broad Laws to Protect Food Delivery Workers (Engadget).

🔋 A new battery-less system can work continuously with intermittent power: it simply stops working without power and restarts with power. Useful for DIY enthusiasts at the moment (Interesting engineering).

🤔 “There are days when I feel like the holy trinity of NFTs, DAOs and DeFi could replace the very foundation upon which society rests. Other days it looks like 90% vaporware and Ponzi schemes that collectively emit more CO2 than a mid-sized country. ” (All).

🤯 Winning the Mandalorian’s Emmy means another amazing VFX reel for you. It’s really cool to see things that are physically done and what CG is (Gizmodo).

🐔 “Why do we call people who are afraid, as acting / being ‘chicken’, when chickens are downright wild and will chase you mercilessly if they are angry? (R / stupid questions).

How do you organize your electronic files in 2021? Records? Directories? What if you had no idea what file systems were, because you grew up with apps, a desktop, and devices that could instantly find entire devices.

What is this piece about The edge between, with a focus on teaching and students who just haven’t really thought about storing files in discrete locations:

• It’s a concept that has always seemed obvious to Garland but that seems completely foreign to his students. “I tend to think that something resides in a particular folder. He lives in the same place and I have to go into this file to find him, ”Garland explains. “They see it as one bucket, and it’s all in the bucket.”
• One of these students explains the various files and data on his computer as a “laundry basket where you have everything together, and you pull out just what you need at one point.”
• This is important for aspiring developers and IT pros, etc., but the question is, if the research is good enough, why bother?

Confession: each draft of daily authority is in a single folder (searchable),

Tristan Rayner, Editor-in-Chief.