The Indian government is pushing for the adoption of a common charger for all devices. There are several devices that consumers hold today, and some of them have different kind of chargers or charging ports, due to which consumers need to carry multiple chargers for their devices. Especially in the case of iPhones which come with a Lightning port, and all the other Android smartphones with a USB Type-C port. According to a PTI report, the government has called a meeting of the stakeholders in the industry on August 17, 2022, to discuss the matter of different chargers for electronic devices.
There's also a lot of e-waste because of the need for different chargers. In the Europe and US markets, the companies have already been asked to deliver a standard charging solution for portable electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. Apple will have to let go of its Lightning port in Europe as the EU (European Union) has already asked the company to deliver a standard USB Type-C port on its iPhones for charging. There's a similar demand in the US market as well.
Thus, there's a need for India to push for the same as well. Otherwise, what would happen is companies like Apple would dump all the non-standard charging devices in India. That would be bad for the long-term value of the devices and also lead to an increase in e-waste. Right now, many companies have made it a rule for their consumers to purchase the charger separately. This should not be the case every time, as one charger should be enough to charge most of the portable devices. Hopefully, Apple can deliver iPhones with USB Type-C in India as well. Samsung and other major tech gear vendors already include Type-C charging ports in their devices for the Indian market.
