Europe inches closer to a universal phone charger
Even Apple is on board
There's been talk of bringing in a universal phone charger across Europe for years now, but the project just took a leap forward as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of the scheme this week.
That doesn't mean it's a done deal, but it's another step in the right direction for those sick of needing a million different wires and connectors for the household's various portable devices.
If Europe's council of ministers approve the legislation, it will force all phone manufacturers to use the same charger - most likely micro USB - for all smartphones by 2017.
Apple flavour
Many phone makers are already down with the micro USB connector, but Apple, which signed on to the scheme some years ago, is still rocking its own Lightning connector.
It hasn't made any kind of response to this week's news yet but it has said in the past that it will not change its actual smartphones - rather it will provide an adapter in order to comply with the ruling in Europe.
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Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.