European iPhone Will Get Micro-USB Charging By 2011

The European Commission has announced that starting January 2011 all new smartphones sold in the European Union will utilize a Micro-USB port for charging.

"Introduction of the universal charger will make life much simpler for EU consumers," said Dennis Abbott, a European Commission spokesperson. "When you discover you've left your charger at home or work, you will be able to use someone else's, knowing it will fit your phone. How cool is that?"

"The environmental benefits of harmonizing chargers are expected to be very significant: reducing the number of unnecessary chargers will reduce the associated electronic waste, which currently amounts to thousands of tons," Abbott told Deutsche Welle. "Harmonized chargers are also expected to improve energy-efficiency, thus reducing energy consumption."


Apple was one of ten companies that signed a memorandum of understanding on the matter over a year ago. It's unclear if Apple plans to add an additional port to its next iPhone or whether Micro-USB will replace the current dock connector.

If Apple needs to make these changes for Europe they will likely make the changes for North America as well.

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