Techalyzer

In February seventeen of the world’s biggest cell phone manufacturers banded together under a group called the GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association) with the intention of banding together to develop a universal handset jack by the year 2012. This has got many consumers excited as it means that we can all stop collecting and paying for different charger units each time we buy a phone.  You just won’t have to look at such a big snarl of old connectors, cables and chargers any more.

One of the problems with whole scheme is that Apple is not part of the GSMA. This is not supposed to be that big of a deal because the iPhone still does not account for more than one percent of the entire smartphone market today. However this is not very insightful as it is likely that iPhone use is going to exponentially explode over the next decade. By the year 2012 the number of iPhone users is probably going to be even larger than regular cell phone uses. It just seems odd that the industry trendsetter is not going to be compatible with all of the other phones because it is not part of the GSMA.

Yet another problem with the universal connector collective is that not all of the companies involved  in this industry in the world are not signed on. The majority of cell manufacturers are but that does not mean that all of them will be around. New companies could be developed that offer new types of equipment that is not compatible.  The connectors could still be varied and all over the place.

However the GSMA does have a goal to market fifty percent less chargers. This will also help the environment as more of these chargers will be able to be recycled or resold because they will plug into more cell phones.  Making this type of move is supposed to reduce of 21 million tons of waste in our landfill a year. 

Of course there is a big white elephant accompanying this idea as well. You might be able to buy a phone with a universal charger one day but this does nothing for you if you do not have the proper cable.  You might have t o shell out for a proper cable and forget about convenience if you happen to forget your cable while travelling. You will have to hope that you will meet someone else who happens to own a GSMA phone.

Yet another possibility is that we will not be using phones that require charging in the next century. Maybe we will not be using wires at all.