On: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cabl...

[Turing_Machine]

Things like railway gauges are components of a large-scale national network.

That is not true of a device connector, which only has to work between the device and the power brick.

[lokedhs → Turing_Machine]

With a standard connector one can have standardised power bricks too, which may eventually lead to no need for power bricks at all.

[Turing_Machine → lokedhs]

But we already have that. The power brick almost always has a USB connector on it nowadays (even with Apple), and it didn't require setting up a perpetual committee of bureaucrats to feed at the public trough.

[andylynch → Turing_Machine]

As others have noted, this was in large part due to the European Commission’s common external power supply initiative back in 2009, and similar standards in Asia.

[Turing_Machine → andylynch]

Others may have "noted" that, but it doesn't make it true. In fact, the EU common external power supply does NOT require a USB connection on the power brick. It be hardwired ("captive", in their terminology).