Saudi Arabia passes law requiring USB-C charges for smartphones::From 2025, Apple’s iPhone and all Android smartphones sold in Saudi Arabia will have to have a USB-C charging port, with laptops to follow in 2026.
Saudi Arabia passes law requiring USB-C charges for smartphones::From 2025, Apple’s iPhone and all Android smartphones sold in Saudi Arabia will have to have a USB-C charging port, with laptops to follow in 2026.
I’m in the minority here, but I don’t think any governments should be regulating the choice of cable in smartphones. I think it’s a convenience that they can dangle in front of people so they can say they are pro-consumer, while ignoring the working conditions of those who manufacture it, the taxes paid by corporations who make the phones, the lobbying done against right-to-repair laws, and the monopolistic tendencies displayed by these companies.
The governments have a real responsibility to hold these companies responsible for a lot of things, but I don’t think the choice of one small piece of the technology pie should be one of them.
I disagree. Standardization is one of the great benefits of international cooperation, and governments should hopefully continue to push towards it. It forces companies to work together rather than try to sabotage each other, which benefits the consumer.
I also don’t know about this SA law, but the EU one is about way more than just smartphones, it mandates a standardized charging connector for all kinds of electronic appliances. You’re underestimating the impact this will have on the market and our e-waste.
If the companies won’t do it on their own, they have to be forced. Apple didn’t want to play, hence the law.