Consumers still don't have a say. Now instead of companies choosing what hardware & features are best for their product, and you then choosing products based on your preferences, EU regulators are now forcing companies (and therefore you) to use whatever they think is best.
I think in the case of USB-C it's not too bad just because USB-C is widely agreed to be a good connector that's already widely adopted, but there have been plenty of bad connectors in the past which in theory the EU could now be deciding consumer electronics companies are forced to use.
This also assumes USB-C is always the best option which I doubt. I'm sure there are products which given the application, size or price point might suite a different cable better. Technology also moves on and connectors change for a reason. Now we're going to be stuck with outdated hardware until EU regulators update laws. At which companies and you as the consumer will be forced to adopt that new connector regardless of your preferences.
The EU consulted with phone producers before standardizing on micro-USB, then again before standardizing on USB-C, and it will do again when something better comes up.
They have explicitly called out not regulating wireless charging for this reason.
Yours is a valid concern, but it's not grounded in reality.
I think the point is that there's no clear consensus on a "winner" right now. USB-C (back then micro-USB) had vast backing, had been in use for a while in many places and was "good enough" for everyone (except Apple-only-on-iphones). It's unclear what is the equivalent for wireless right now.
> The following companies have signed the MoU: Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion (RIM), Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Texas Instruments.
That's when they moved to Micro-USB. This is the next step. But yeah, I'd imagine the same companies voiced their opinions this time around, along with others.
I can't find the exact names right now, but from the Impact Assessment report[1] they did stakeholder surveys, which included 121 stakeholders of which 23% were private companies. In addition to that they did targeted interviews with 7 manufacturers associations and 17 manufacturers.
The idea this somehow limits consumer choice is nonsense. It opens up choice because now I don't have to pay insane markups for proprietary items.
Printer ink, razor blades, and so on are other examples besides connector cables where companies' `innovations' tend to make things worse for the consumer. Even if the new cable is technically slightly better, the other factors of price, availability, and lack of inter-operability ultimately make things worse for the consumer.
Also, you'd likely have more luck getting elected officials to change EU policies than you would have with mega company board members changing profit-maximizing strategies.
Standardizing shit that doesn't need to be different, in order to let markets function better, is one of the oldest functions of the state as we know it, and a precursor to the development of capitalism.
Seeing the benefit to doing that kind of thing (which required developments in thought & practice in political economy) and being able to effectively enforce such decrees (which required various other developments in theory and technology, plus the right circumstances) on a large area is even seen as one of the hallmarks of the development of the nation-state, and a major stepping stone to our modern global economic system and the modern state.
Where are all the market players that sell phones with iOS with USB-C? I might have voted on them. Or, perhaps one that allows side-loading and has a removable battery and a fingerprint sensor?
Oh, capitalism makes all these choices possible for me, how wonderful!
I think in the case of USB-C it's not too bad just because USB-C is widely agreed to be a good connector that's already widely adopted, but there have been plenty of bad connectors in the past which in theory the EU could now be deciding consumer electronics companies are forced to use.
This also assumes USB-C is always the best option which I doubt. I'm sure there are products which given the application, size or price point might suite a different cable better. Technology also moves on and connectors change for a reason. Now we're going to be stuck with outdated hardware until EU regulators update laws. At which companies and you as the consumer will be forced to adopt that new connector regardless of your preferences.