Apple also felt that rules weren't necessary when the industry was already consolidating around USB-C, either through port changes or through cables (as with the iPhone 11 Pro). The industry has consolidated from "30 chargers to three, soon to be two," Apple said. It still hoped the European Commission would look for a solution -- just not one that hurt the industry's (read: Apple's) "ability to innovate."

You can read Apple's full statement below.

The EU has been pressing for harmonized phone charging for over a decade, arguing that it would reduce e-waste and simplify the experience for customers. You might not even need a new charger in the box alongside your new phone. To date, though, it has relied on a voluntary approach that it doesn't believe has been effective. Regulation would theoretically push exceptions like Apple to do what they won't on their own accord.

Whether or not mandatory adoption would help isn't clear. While USB-C has made life considerably easier in the smartphone world, it didn't start reaching phones until 2015, or three years after Lightning (which included many of USB-C's design advantages) made its debut in the iPhone 5. Widespread adoption took a while after that. As genuinely helpful as a standard could be, there is a risk you could wait longer for meaningful advances.