One to charge them all: EU demands single plug for phones

Imagine a simple, never-changing charger that can power all your portable electronics. The European Union moved a step closer to that happy day for consumers by unveiling plans Thursday to require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, proposed legislation that would mandate USB-C cables for charging, technology that many device makers have already adopted. The main holdout? Apple, which said it was concerned the new rules would limit "innovation" that would end up hurting consumers. iPhones come with the company's own Lightning charging port, though the newest models now come with cables that can be plugged into a USB-C socket.

The push by the EU will certainly be cheered by the millions of people who have rummaged through a drawer full of cables for the right charger. But the EU also wants to cut down on the 11,000 metric tons of electronic waste thrown out every year by Europeans.