How did USB-C become the universal charging port for phones? And why isn’t this “universal” ideaology common in all industries?

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Take electric tools. If I have a Milwaukee setup (lawn mower,leaf blower etc) and I buy a new drill. If I want to use the batteries I currently have I’ll have to get a Milwaukee drill.

Yes this is good business, but not all industries do this. Why?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Batteries in cordless tools is a bit different. You could say the charing “port” – the wall outlet – is standardized. You can just remove the battery whereas in a phone you can’t. But that’s notnquite right, and not the real story.

For things like drills, it goes beyond that. Electronics all work on similar voltages. Sp phones and such, not a big deal.

But appliances, the designers may want a different tradeoff on power-pack voltage (i.e, 18v, 24v, etc.) than another design or limits their selection of motors. Because they focus on a different application, or they just think their way performs better for their customers. Then there is the form factor they go for, which might be incompatible with a different battery pack. Maybe a high end brand wants to go with a high voltage pack, because they can get a smaller motor, smaller battery pack, and faster charing time, but at higher cost. But if theyvare forced to use a lower voltage pack, can’t do it.

Forcing every tool designer to use the same battery pack is closer to forcing every vehicle to use the same engine than it is to having all electronics using the same charger port.

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