Thank God for the EU.

If Apple and the Americans had their way, each of those would use a different proprietary connector.

Yes, Americans famously love having dozens of different chargers and cables to manage

The reason we should thank the EU is because of this rule. While I cannot guarantee this rule is responsible, the fact that it’s mandated means it’s significantly more economically viable to use the same connector across all regions (including America), and so this rule is the primary factor in the standardization of charging cables.

I know why we have the EU to thank .

If Apple and the Americans had their way, each of those would use a different proprietary connector.

Americans don’t want proprietary connectors. We’re happy to get USB-C, too.

USB C only exists because American tech companies agreed to use it (including apple because they were one of the first to mass use it on their computers). The EU has nothing to do with its creation.