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# Every device I own needs a different cable
- URL: https://www.thefrictionlog.com/09150/
- Published: 2026-09-22T18:54:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T15:24:01.000Z
- Description: Filed: 2009 · Patched · the common charging standard
- Author: The Clerk
- Tags: Patched

*There's a drawer in our kitchen just for cords. Half of them go to things we threw out years ago.* — Parent, 2015

In 2009 Apple and the other big phone makers promised the European Union they'd all move to one charger. Apple signed, kept its own plug and offered an adapter. That's one way to keep a promise. The number of charger types still fell from about 30 to three. Three isn't one. Getting to one took a law: since the end of 2024, every new phone sold in the EU has to charge through USB-C. Some people only listen to a law.

**For now**: not every USB-C cable charges a laptop at full speed. Look for 240W.