The Daily Authority: EU approves USB-C

👻 Good morning, and welcome to a spooky edition of Tuesday’s Daily Authority. All Hallow’s Eve is right around the corner, and I’ve been watching lots of creepy Halloween horror movies. Last night’s viewing was the classic Nightmare on Elm Street.

We’ve been expecting it for some time now, but the European Council has given final approval to its common charger initiative.

• This means from fall 2024, all electronic devices in the EU will be required to adopt USB-C.
• That means phones, headphones, handheld game consoles, keyboards, tablets, and more will be forced to use USB-C charging.
• As well as requiring USB-C, this new mandate proposes to introduce a pictogram that will tell consumers if a device comes with a charger and what that charger’s performance is.
• Though the new rules are expected to go into full effect in fall of 2024, the deadline for laptops is extended to spring 2026.

Where’s the charger?

Nowadays, it’s pretty common not to get a charger in the box, a move that’s divided our readers — though there are good reasons behind the trend. With the introduction of this new legislation, EU consumers will have the option to choose whether to purchase a new device with or without a charger.

• These moves aim to save consumers money and reduce electronic waste while harmonizing charging across devices — one charger can be used for all your electronic devices.
• Four years after the rule goes into effect the Commission will “assess whether this unbundling of sales should be made mandatory.”
• The Council may not stop there, though, and also has its eye set on harmonizing wireless charging too.

Worldwide ramifications

You might be thinking, “This is just the EU,” and to an extent, you’d be right. The mandate won’t technically affect devices sold to consumers in the US and other countries outside the EU.

• However, these rules will have far-reaching ramifications worldwide.
• Consumers outside of the EU will also be affected — for example, Apple will finally be forced to ditch its Lightning chargers and adopt USB-C.
• The new iPad, announced last week, is already there.
• This could mean your next iPhone won’t work with any of the Lightning chargers you already have, which surely isn’t great news for the environment.
• And USB-C isn’t a fix-all solution: The standard still has its problems in 2022.

It may sound like something straight out of a dystopian sci-fi movie, but Saudi Arabia’s mirrored megacity The Line is a real project. A city you can live in, work in, and won’t ever have to leave (umm…).

• Drone footage shared yesterday shows construction beginning on the megacity, though not a lot has happened yet.
• The Line is planned to be 105 miles (170km) long, 500 meters tall, and 200 meters wide, with a mirrored exterior.
• Neom, the company behind the ambitious plans, was set up by the Saudi Arabian government and is a mash-up of sustainability, engineering, and architecture.
• Neom claims The Line will have its own constant micro-climate, which actually sounds pretty good to us, as well as several neighborhoods walkable in just five minutes and end-to-end travel in 20 minutes.
• The company’s also working on a couple of other projects or “regions” called Oxagon and Trojena.
• Though we don’t know yet when we can expect to see the completed city, a press release from Neom suggested around 2030 as a potential completion date, so still a while to wait.

Have a great Tuesday!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.