Apple Offering Micro USB Adapters to European Customers

That's probably the most elegant adapter Apple's ever made. It's compact and unobtrusive. I wish they made their HDMI adapter like that. Also, it's strange that most iPhones are black, yet all their accessories are white.

Suck it Europe

Nice input there buddy...


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Glad this has finally been done...very useful for the car really as most satnav's use MicroUSB now so you can share the power cable for a quick charge!

"When you discover you've left your charger at home or work, you will be able to use someone else's, knowing it will fit your phone. How cool is that?"

What happens when you leave your adapter at home, though? :P

Or required to include the adapter either?

Apple IS including the adapter, as the article stated, with the 4S. They also are selling it to anybody who bought an iPhone before the adapter's existence.

-- Nathan

needs an adaptor - kind of defeats the purpose!

The point of the legislation is that in the future, the smartphones in EU won't be selling with a power adaptor as most likely everybody will already have one, which would reduce massively the waste associated with the redundant power adaptors.

Of course phones with another power plug like the iPhone will still ship with their proprietary adaptator because Apple cannot count on the owner having that specific power adaptator.

This is not that great an idea, how many will actually carry the adpter. I have had adpaters on phones before and when you need them you don't have them. More than likely it will sit on a cable with your computer and when your are out everything will be packed up at home and no one will have one on them.

I think the environmentally friendly idea is to make phones, so that you do not have to buy a new wall charger or a car charger with every new phone. I don't think it was ever about making it easy to for you to charge your phone when you left your charger at home by mistake.

Apple isn't required to include an actual micro-USB port directly on the iPhone.

Or required to include the adapter either?

In that case how does the law help anyone?

You're still completely dependent on a PROPRIETARY adapter!

Sounds like someone missed a rather glaring loophole. :confused:

One of the few things the EU can be genuinely proud of achieving, this mandated micro-USB charging law :)

The entire point was to reduce the need for adapters and for power plugs and wires like that to be shared. Apple is in clear violation of the spirit of the law.

Actually, it is more like Apple is in violation of your (mis)understanding of the spirit of the law. As explained before, the law was intended to reduce the need to buy a new charger with every new phone purchase. Simple passive adaptors fit the bill nicely.

I really don't understand why so many europeans bend over and take anything the EU dishes at them. What happens when USB becomes obsolete? Ever given that some thought?

How long has USB been around?

How many times have Apple changed the dock connector specs since it was introduced?

Since micro-usb was introduced Apple have switched from Firewire to USB, changed voltage specs on dock connectors and changed dock port shapes. There's more chance Apple will leave older dock specs in the dust and force everyone to upgrade to ThunderDockWire or some such than a standard which almost every consumer electronics company in the world is already using becoming obsolete.

I don't understand why users bend over and take whatever Apple dishes at them. Especially when it usually means you have to spend money to get legacy products that work perfectly well to be compatible. :rolleyes:

As for forgetting the adapter, what if you forget your dock cable? Same thing. Spurious argument.

I think it's odd they don't offer this at least for sale outside the EU. I would prefer this.

However, I'll assume it only works for power and not anything else the dock connector can be used for.

it is typical Apple here. Apple is following the letter of the law but clearly they are saying FU to the spirit of the law.

The entire point was to reduce the need for adapters and for power plugs and wires like that to be shared. Apple is in clear violation of the spirit of the law.