Something for the Weekend - Regulation Cucumbers

A few weeks back I saw that the European Commission had ruled that all mobile phones issued in Europe from 2011 will have to have the same charger compatibility. Initially I had mixed feelings about the news... Flashbacks to regulation cucumbers, peaches with circumference restrictions and aubergines with colour specifications - all introduced by the EU in the past few decades!

On the down side, standardising is an enforced design constraint limiting innovation or the adoption of new, improved technologies - this is especially important now that the power socket and synchronisation socket are common. Should a faster synchronisation connection be made available in the short term phones will once again require multiple sockets to allow adoption.

But there's an overriding voice at play - the one of the consumer - the pain of buying new chargers every time you get a new phone & trying to find someone with a compatible charger when you don't have one with you. For now, these annoyances outweigh the need for faster synchronisation.

The commercial and environmental factors work out here too - In reality you won't need to dispose of old chargers every time you switch phones meaning that ultimately mobile manufacturers won't need to include chargers in the box - cheaper to produce, easier to package and distribute, less waste.

It's a great example to reflect on when considering how the things (inputs / outputs) on the periphery of your product (not just physical either) are going to interact with it and what type of issues these may cause your customers.


Sources and Credits
Wired.Com
Cucumber regulation!