Nothing would prevent HTC from using the new standard. Apple would never dream of it.

Apple already has a USB charging solution. The chord is the only thing that would be dumped when moving to a competing product, and much of that chord is recyclable (excluding perhaps the insulation...)

This kind of thing is LONG overdue. What a stroke of genius that every cell phone maker use the SAME connector for every cell phone! Who'da thunk?

I've used retractable USB charging cables for all my mobile gear for ages. They use modular connectors that can be swapped out depending which device it's being used with. I just carry a separate cable for every device.

Chords are like A and E flat (not E sharp)...
Cords are what you plug into your amp (or phone)...
Sorry, Flying Meat, this one is gonna drive me NUTS...

As a musician, you'd think I would know better, even as a bass player. :P :)

I completely understand, and thanks for the reminder.

Almost all cell phones use a universal charger NOW. Rather than coming up with a new solution that won't be adopted by all cell phones, focus on convincing the hold-outs to conform to the current standard (mini-USB).

Um, mini-usb is the solution they came up with (just with less power draw).

at the phone end being USB mini will suffice, i'm sure, for the majority of phones out there. Syncing data can be accomplished via bluetooth on more capable phones, but I think the crux of the problem isn't just the plug at the phone end, but also includes the wall wart.
Apple doesn't require a wall wart to recharge the iPhone. Power is drawn through the USB cord from the computer.
They provide a USB Power adapter which would theoretically work for any device receiving USB power for charging, unless of course, the other USB chargeable devices require mini USB at both ends. :P
So, is Apple already ahead of the game here, or is everyone else planning to use something that Apple doesn't? I don't see any inherent benefit from going to mini USB except for the size of the connection at the phone end. The connection at the wall or computer is not even discussed beyond lower power requirements.

Big stinkin' woop.

I could be mistaken, but I'll bet some of those companies will still sell separate cables for wired sync of data.

at the phone end being USB mini will suffice, ...Syncing data can be accomplished via bluetooth on more capable phones,

Is there some reason syncing can't be done via USB?

but I think the crux of the problem isn't just the plug at the phone end, but also includes the wall wart.

Um, no. The plan is to standard USB for power, which means it uses standard USB for charging. Just like, for example, my Motorola phone.

They provide a USB Power adapter which would theoretically work for any device receiving USB power for charging, unless of course, the other USB chargeable devices require mini USB at both ends. :P

Do you understand what a USB cable or a connector is? How exactly would one "require" a mini USB connector at both ends, or even know it is mini (and I was wrong, its actually 'micro') or standard? Oh, you're looking for a reason to make it sound like a bust.

So, is Apple already ahead of the game here, or is everyone else planning to use something that Apple doesn't?


Well, they can't use Apple's dock connector, because Apple owns that. What they're planning on doing is using a standard interface (a standard, mind you, that already exists, not one they're creating) to use for charging.

I don't see any inherent benefit from going to mini USB except for the size of the connection at the phone end. The connection at the wall or computer is not even discussed beyond lower power requirements.

Again, the other side is meaningless. It could be a wall wart (like I got from my Razr), or a standard USB to mini-usb cable (like I use to hook up my phone to my computer to charge it) to any other devices they can come up with (car charger, plane charger, etc).

And I seem to remember people praising apple for switching to mini display port on their laptops, because its smaller. And that wasn't even a standard (and even now, you still need to go to Apple in order to make a mini displayport product).

I could be mistaken, but I'll bet some of those companies will still sell separate cables for wired sync of data.

You mean like Apple has a special cable to sync with?