HOUSTON — Why could you soon have to buy new chargers for everything from your phone to your laptop?
This month the European Union came out with a new mandate that all new portable tech devices will have to use the same type of charger. That means all new smartphones and tablets sold in Europe will have to have a common charging port by the fall of 2024. Laptops will need to be in compliance by 2026.
That common port will be a USB-C.
This new mandate will only be enforced in Europe but tech experts predict it will be too costly for companies to produce different products just for the European markets.
That means most products will switch over to USB-C. This will have the biggest blow on Apple that has clung to the lightning charger for many of its devices.
The European Union is making the change to cut down on electronic waste. The idea being you will be able to use one charger for all your devices. But critics point out this means apple users will have to throw out all those lightning cables they have collected over the years.
Others claim it will prevent advancements in the industry like doing away with charging ports all together.