The GSMA Mobile World Congress is over, but people are still talking about one of the most exciting and interesting developments to come out of the cellphone industry in quite a while.
Seventeen major handset makers, including some big names like Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung, have agreed to start producing cellphones that will use a universal charger. The common interface will use Micro-USB technology. The GSMA is promising that most cellphones will use this universal charger by 2012.
What does this mean for you? Well, first of all, no matter what kind of cellphone you buy, you’ll only ever need one charger for it. Does this really make a difference since all cellphones are sold with accompanying chargers? Sure it does. How many times have you forgotten to charge your handset only to realize it when you’re away from home and really need to use your cellphone? Maybe you’re out with a friend and could borrow their charger…if they use the same kind of phone you do. And I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard business travelers complain about either having left their charger at home when they travel, or in the hotel room when they leave, again making it difficult to borrow anyone else’s charger. If they’re lucky, one of the shops at the airport will carry chargers, but then they have to hope their particular handset model’s charger is carried. A universal charger solves these issues.
Even better, a universal charger is good for the environment. What happens to all those chargers that are lost or left behind? Or when new phones are purchased for which the old chargers don’t work? Many of them are thrown away. There are currently millions of cellphones in landfills, and the number grows exponentially each year. It’s safe to assume that there are at least as many chargers as cellphones being thrown away, if not more. Being able to use one charger for several phones will go a long way to alleviating what is quickly becoming an environmental crisis.
Further addressing environmental issues presented by cellphones and chargers, the GSMA is pushing for the new universal chargers to use about 50 percent less power than current chargers. Also, doing away with the need for chargers to be so frequently replaced cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of chargers that need to be produced and transported to consumers.
One major player is missing from this huge joint venture—Apple. The company has made no move to adapt its popular iPhone to comply with the universal charger. In their defense, the cable used to charge the iPhone is the same one used to charge the iPod, so we could argue that Apple is already doing its part for the environment. Besides, Apple has always been a bit ahead of the game and unique in its products and the way they’re presented. And isn’t that the very reason why so many people love them?
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