Universal charging and the phone-free future

In this podcast episode, we're unpacking the story of the “Universal charging directive” that recently came into force in the EU. Our guest in the studio, Callum Booth, wrote a story on the initiative for The Verge — and will now discuss what it actually means for us Europeans, as well as share a few things that didn't make it into the piece. In the second part of the show, Callum talks about The Great Uncoupling — a journey towards independence from his smartphone through… re-cluttering his life with more single-purpose devices. 00:00 Intro01:15 The Universal Charging directive05:55 What is Apple doing to comply?08:40 What else is included in the regulation10:45 Unification of fast charging15:30 Bonus: Things that weren't included in the story21:20 Is Europe overreaching with this regulation?23:05 Part II: The Great Uncoupling27:25 What you still need the smartphone for28:40 The current progress in the journey32:25 Real-life differences to note36:15 Wrapping upYou can find Callum's newsletter The Rectangle on Substack: https://therectangle.substack.com/Like our podcast? Leave a review, a comment, and recommend the show to your friends and colleagues — it'd mean the world to us!