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A bunch of US cellphone makers (not including apple) announced in Feb that they were going to try to make this happen in the US by 2012, so I think the bleeding when the other way.
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@Cocoa Vanilla: Does the Pre have the capability to hook up to a computer in the same way that an iphone does (ie, via the same port used to charge it?)... because the design of the iphone requires that the power adapter ALSO be a port for transferring data, which would make it more complicated to change than on your average cell phone. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding the state of cellular technology.
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@K-Bo: Sorry, this is The Consumerist. It doesn't count if the corporations do it themselves. It only counts if the government steps in and forces them to.
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@TheFlamingoKing: Which begs the question, \"What took 'em so freaken' long?\"
The least gov't intervention possible is ideal. But sometimes it's needed to both prevent businesses from acting contrary to their long-term interests, or to fix anomalies - or blatant, consumer-sodomizing greed - in the market. As a last resort though.
This case is a fair reason. Coordination costs are minor but there's no incentive to do the greater good. So a little tweak (or threats of it crossing over the pond) and, like magic, businesses do the right thing.
@Trai_Dep: Well, what took the government so long to intervene? One is market forces which take time. The other only takes as much force as the government wants to enact. Why is it the market's fault?
You'd have to explain to me why government intervention is needed to prevent business from acting contrary to their long-term interests. I think we seriously disagree on the purpose of government. Governments shouldn't prop up failed businesses - that gets us TARP: billions of taxpayer dollars funneled to private corporations with the right lobbyists in the right places.
The reason why the GSMA was already working on this prior to any government intervention is because of cost. If a consortium of phone manufacturers can get a single build of a power adapter and manufacture billions, that's cheaper than each company developing their own. So I see this as government spending money to fix a non-issue that was already fixing itself anyway. No matter how low the costs were, it's a waste of resources.
A corporation has no incentive to do the greater good. Even when government passes laws, the corporation still has no incentive, only a detraction from doing regular business through risk of further government action. The only way to get corporations to care about the greater good is through supply and demand.
Keep worrying about that \"blatant, consumer-sodomizing greed\". I'll keep worrying about blatant, taxpayer-sodomizing greed.
@TheFlamingoKing: You're not as up on the business models that consumer electronics firms use as you think you are. You're also assuming that they're incapable of subscribing to the International Herald Tribune.
@HiPwr: Thanks.
We're much alike in goals, we'd find were we drinking together. The market solves almost any problem. The caveats are when markets are broken (unmet externalities I'd place under this category, as well as when there are distortions (too big, too powerful or too few) and for a limited set of situations where society is able to provide the optimal, efficient good (fire departments or schools, say (but not that private alternatives shouldn't exist)).
We'd probably agree to disagree whether, say, our health, finance or military systems are competitive and efficient. Or if \"too big\" provides real choice for consumers to act or bad actors to be slain by their own hand, as they should be. But I'd trust the rationality of millions of self-interested consumers independently making considered choices over that of either the State or quasi nation-state corporations (and so thus, I'd like to see these both made answerable to these millions of individuals).
But I think on the third round, we'd shrug and agree that its individuals that count. Not vast bureaucracies (private or public) that thwart their will. Am I right? :D
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@Trai_Dep: Yes, you're right. My long hours of haranguing you are finally paying off as you are coming around nicely.
My primary bone of contention with you is that you don't seem to recognize that corruption, incompetence, arrogance, elitism, etc. are not Conservative/Progressive issues, they are Washington D.C. issues. You only seem to be able to assign fault and blame on one side. It's frustrating to me because I see partisanship as a large tumor in our system of governance.
Of course I'd have a drink with you. Our banter has never been mean-spirited in my opinion. I can't say that for everyone here.
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@TheFlamingoKing: Partially because... well, we've all seen corporate standardisation attempts, right? They almost never work, largely because naughty companies deliberately break things.
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Good gosh I hope this day comes! How handy and convenient and not to mention pretty green too.
@VikingP77: How is this green??? It's not non-green, but not green either. I know I don't have old chargers plugged in to the wall.