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· Posted on
February 21, 2024

Bring in the elves because the EU has just announced the 'one charger to rule them all' - USB C

The EU has made a decision... there will only be one common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets, and cameras.

What's the key learning?

  • The EU has passed reform that means USB-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU and all tech companies will be required to roll this out by September 2024.
  • This reform may save 11,000 tonnes of e-waste across the EU every year, but this also means Apple loses a key part of its value proposition - control over the product ecosystem.
  • A product ecosystem is created when a business offers multiple complementary products or services for their customers.

👉Background: Let's be real. There is absolutely NOTHING worse than running out of phone battery - especially when you’re at a mate’s place and they only have the opposition’s charger.

  • iPhones are charged using a Lightning cable
  • Android-based devices are charged using the USB-C connector

👉 What happened: Now, the EU has passed reform that means USB-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU. All tech companies will be required to roll this out by September 2024.

👉 What else: It’s believed the reform will save 11,000 tonnes of e-waste across the EU every year - that’s the weight of the Eiffel Tower in wasted chargers! But this reform also means Apple loses a key part of its value proposition - control over the product ecosystem.

What's the key learning?

💡A product ecosystem is created when a business offers multiple complementary products or services for their customers.

💡Apple has created an ecosystem of experiences… from its software to its payment technology and even its accessories - but this has meant Apple has cut out the involvement of external partners and dependencies.

💡But this new EU ruling means Apple will need to relinquish some of its control around chargers... And it could just be the first step of breaking up Apple’s impenetrable ecosystem (but probably not...)

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