Universal Laptop Standard for Europe Pushed by IEC
The IEC is hoping to reduce e-waste while also making laptop charging more convenient.
After years of pushing for standardized phone chargers, the European Commission in September named microUSB the European standard for phone chargers. Now, the International Electrotechnical Commission is hoping to do the same for laptop adapters.
Imagine a world where you and your friend could share laptop chargers regardless of the laptops you use. The IEC has published a new proposal that would create a standard laptop adapter. Aside from the obvious convenience factor, a standardized charger would mean a reduction in electronic waste.
"The IEC International Standards for the universal charger for mobile phones has been widely adopted by the mobile phone industry and is already starting to help reduce e-waste," the Register cites IEC general secretary Frans Vreeswijk as saying in a statement. "A single power supply covering a wide range of notebook computers is the next step in lowering e-waste and its impact on our planet."
Even if the IEC is successful in its bid for a one-charger-fits-all solution, it will likely be a while before we're swapping chargers with friends.
Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
-
agnickolov I kind of doubt a charger for a run of the mill laptop will produce the 150W necessary to run my ASUS G73SW gaming laptop, no matter the connector type...Reply -
fudoka711 Standardizing the plug/connector interface is one thing, but making every power supply have the same output is another thing entirely. Laptops use widely varying amounts of power.Reply -
shovenose2 A lot of laptops use 18-20V. Honestly, if they made a 6A 19V adapter that would cover almost all laptops on the market today. That 19V is within tolerance of 18-20 anyway. Something like Apple's MagSafe or Lenovo's new flat design would be best.Reply -
Stihy You can standardize that also, with colour of connector, 15w white, 35w yellow, 60w black 90w blue 120wats orange..... so when you connect you can se if the power requirement is acceptable, also , that would require to standardize voltage to 19vReply -
shriganesh OMG! This took so many years!!!! This should have been done like 10 years ago! At least 5 years ago, when the world was moving towards portability and mobility!Reply -
shriganesh @agnickolovReply
Forget about special cases! Think about normal laptops! I am not talking about desktops disguised as laptops :P -
abbadon_34 Hmmm 5v/1a/5w charger, So takes 24 hours to charge a REAL laptop as long as it's not getting used? I guess the eurotrash doesn't use real computers. Thank you socialist one-size-fits-all government.Reply -
mdahouse No one has said a laptop charger should be 5v/1a/5w. A standard power supply for laptops would be a great idea. At my work, we all use laptops, and people are always wanting to borrow someone else PSU 'cause there's is in a different room and they are in a meeting. We have several universal PSU's that work great. maybe all bricks should be universal.Reply -
zodiacfml I think this is just the right time...I mean there are plenty low power laptops out there. There could possibly two or three standard adapters, covering two power ranges.Reply