It had been in the works for a while, but now it has formally been adopted. From the article:
The regulation provides that by 2027 portable batteries incorporated into appliances should be removable and replaceable by the end-user, leaving sufficient time for operators to adapt the design of their products to this requirement.
Yeah I agree with this on principle, but as it is it basically means we will have USBC forever because nobody is going to take market risks on pushing a better standard. It works because USBC is good, but imagine if the EU did this kind of thing with the previous gen mini connector?
Same thing here. I prefer the form factor, ergonomics and long term waterproofing which comes with current trends. Yes I know it’s possible to get IP ratings with removable batteries, but those seals fail much more quickly than fully sealed designs, and they always fail at the worst time. I suspect will happen is that this will have the opposite impact, and we will generate a lot more water-damage e-waste again.
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