Amazon Takes Steps Against Hazardous USBs
Amazon will no longer allow the sale of USB cords with the potential to fry a consumer’s technology.
In its list of banned items, USB-C cables or adapter products have been added. This of course is not a blanket statement since USB-C is taking the world by storm with companies like Apple even going so far as to release a macbook with only 2 ports total. Any USB Type-C cable or adapter product which is not compliant with standard specifications will not be allowed on Amazon for sale or resale.
The new Type-C power cord is small, multipurpose, universal, and reversible. Capable of suppling power, video output, and an enourmous amount of data per second, USB Type-C is looking to unseat micro-USB cords seen on many standard smartphones. Cheap power cords are nothing new and are still readily available but cheap, poorly made cords have proven to be dangerous to users and to their tech.
The USB-C standards-setting group, the USB Implementers Forum, has been issuing a seal of approval for safe USB-C cords since they first appeared on the market last year. Amazon, up until now, had allowed non-certified cords on its website. Since they are now following suit with many physical stores such as Staples and Best Buy, products and pricing between in-store and online may have much less of a contrast in the future.
Source: Amazon
