By Chris Scott Barr
I honestly can’t remember the number of different cell phone chargers I’ve had over the years. I would imagine that it’s only slightly less than the number of phones I have owned. This is because almost every phone manufacturer has decided to develop their own proprietary connectors. While we’ve started seeing the microUSB port used for charging more lately, several manufacturers have agreed to use the microUSB port as the standard connector for all future phones in the UK.
The companies involved include Apple, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola and RIM, each of which has promised to offer the new standard connector on their phones starting next year. The agreement only includes data-enabled phones, which means that some basic handsets may still be allowed to use a proprietary connector. The biggest question this is going to raise is how this will affect future iPhones. Apple has continued to use the same universal connector as the iPod. Will they continue to support the universal connector while adding a microUSB port, or will they remove it altogether, thus making most iPod docks useless?
Note: We have heard this before, however, now there are more companies on-board. They’re also making this happen two years earlier than previously announced.
Not just UK! This was introduced by the EU (The same place the UK hates)
Not just UK! This was introduced by the EU (The same place the UK hates)