Why it matters: The European parliament has been seeking a common standard for electronic device chargers for over a decade. This week, it came one step closer to enacting such a policy, which would most notably affect Apple.
On Wednesday, members of the European parliament agreed almost unanimously in favor of a proposal to establish USB-Type C as the standard connection port on electronic devices. The European Commission introduced the proposal last fall.
The proposed Radio Equipment Directive aims to reduce confusion over the types of cables consumers use for different devices. Another goal is to cut down on electronic waste with platform-agnostic charging ports.
The preliminary proposal passed on a nearly unanimous 43-2 vote. If the European Parliament plenary session in May approves it, parliament members will hash out the final details with EU member governments.
Most manufacturers are already using USB-C, including Apple's iPads and MacBooks. Apple has resisted calls to give iPhones USB-C ports by suggesting there should instead be a mandated standard on the charger end of the cord. Apple's Lightning-to-USB-C cables would already meet such a standard.
If the proposal doesn't pass, you could always do it yourself. Last Fall, an engineering student successfully modded a USB-C port into an iPhone and published instructions for the procedure.