Will USB Become Standard Connection For Cell Phone Chargers?
China might be setting the standard for cell phone charger connections to become USB. The Chinese government will impliment a single national standard on mobile phone chargers sold in the country to avoid waste and to lower manufacturing costs. Under the new standard, all mobile phones, regardless of the brand, will be able to share one charger via USB access, allowing users to charge handsets through any USB port.
The unified standard will cut the cost of a new handset and reduce electronic waste and consumption of resources, a Ministry of Information Industry (MII)official said. China has almost 450 million cell phone subscribers, with up to 100 million replacing their phones every year. The chargers are often disposed of with the phones. Under the new standard, cell phone manufactureers are expected to change their sales strategy, putting an end to the package sales of cell phones and chargers to save resources. Lou Peide, executive secretary general with China Mobile Communications Association, estimated the new standard could save nearly 306 million U.S. dollars each year for handsets made in China.
Source: ChinaDaily
Matt LeBoff
Kicking around in technology since 2002. I like to write about technology products and ideas, but at the consumer level understanding. Some tech, but not too techie.