The Introduction of USB C and the Removal of Wall Chargers from Phone Boxes

    Technology is consistently evolving to become more efficient, compact, and convenient. Having this in mind, we've seen actions to make our technology a whole lot cleaner. Before the introduction of USB C, there were many cables varying in shapes and sizes. There was also a time when our phones came with all of the essential components to have a complete smartphone setup. Although we're only tackling two separate topics, these topics are a response to committing to a Green Earth.

 

Source

    Many problems have existed for as long as they were introduced, yet keeping the Earth Clean is a challenge that we fight for. Keeping a Green Earth means reducing CO2, Recycling, keeping a Clean Ocean, and many other factors which could negatively affect our Earth or the Environment. This brings us to cables. It might be a bit hard to relate a wired cable to the Earth, but there was once a time when cables varied in shapes and sizes. Big chunky cables are a relic to an older time, whereas newer cables are slimmer and much more capable. The fast advancements of technology meant that many old cables were rendered unusable on newer technologies. Because of this, it was almost natural to throw away your older cables. The waste of cables (or other electrical components) would be known as Electrical Waste (e-waste). There was no doubt that e-waste was bad for the environment and our limited material supply. Although e-waste seems grim, there would soon be a universal solution.

 

Source

    Around 2009, Europe would make a push for a Universal Cable to Reduce the Millions of Metric Tons on e-waste. Their solution: USB C. USB C could: Charge your device, transfer over files, display images on a screen, it was slim and reversible. The cable was advertised as your all-in-one cable, yet it didn't become more widespread until 2017. Now in 2022, it seems that the majority of Smart Phones, Tablets, and even Laptops have adapted USB C as their standard method of charging and data transfer. Apple has implemented USB C to all of their devices: except for their smartphones. Apple claims, “We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world" (The Verge). Not sure how much truth that holds since Apple has slowly refreshed all of their iPad lines to include USB C. Regardless, only having two cables is significantly better than the vast variety of wires that we used to have. That's not to say that USB C and the Lighting Connector are the only cables, but they are far more common than any other cable that you'll need.

 

    Even though older technologies will continue to suffer through e-waste, USB C is a good step towards a cleaner Earth. Most companies have committed towards a Greener Environment (Solar or Recyclable material) by 2030. To accomplish such a task, Apple announced that they would no longer include their earpods and the wall charger for their iPhone 12 (2020). This decision seems to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you appease the people by removing the component that is already common in people's households. By removing both earpods and wall chargers, you're able to make the box slimmer. A slimmer box can ship out even more iPhones in a shipping container. Thus, it is more efficient to ship more products in the same space while not providing yet another wall charger. On the other hand, you're not providing a complete package of everything a person needs for their first phone.

Source

Plus, it seems kind of counterproductive to remove the wall charger from the phone's box since the wall charger can be purchased with its own packaging box. This is not a winning situation, but it's the move that's been made. And since Apple holds a lot of influence, other phone manufacturers (like Samsung) has started to do the same thing with their phone boxes the following year. Although we lost both earphones and wall chargers, Apple (along with other companies) has kept the charging cable in the
phone box.

Source

    Overall, it seems that the EU responded to the Green Earth issues by introducing a Universal Cable that could do everything. Whereas Apple commits to its Green Earth commitment by reducing components that are common in most households. Keeping the Earth as healthy as possible is not a new concept, though it has gotten more traction in recent years. If there weren't a movement for clean energy or materials, who knows if companies and governments would've committed to becoming their cleanest selves by the year 2030. It has been a bit of a rocky journey, but we'll patiently be waiting for another 8 years to see how much we've progressed since 2022 (or further back).

    If you'd like to learn more, check out: 

USB C Charger (The Verge): https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22626723/eu-commission-universal-charger-usb-c-micro-lightning-connector-smartphones

Apple's Slim Box (Hindustan Times): https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/apple-explains-why-it-removed-charger-earpods-from-iphone-12-box-71602948393511.html

e-waste (Statista): https://www.statista.com/chart/2283/electronic-waste/