[Voltages and frequencies](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/World_Map_of_Mains_Voltages_and_Frequencies%2C_Detailed.svg/2754px-World_Map_of_Mains_Voltages_and_Frequencies%2C_Detailed.svg.png) are bad enough but [**plugs**](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/World_map_of_electrical_mains_power_plug_types_used.svg/2560px-World_map_of_electrical_mains_power_plug_types_used.svg.png) are on another level entirely.
Small appliances differ very little, if at all, and some brands can be found nearly everywhere – yet manufacturers (or users themselves) need to adjust them to local standards… that are there for what reason? Why can’t a universal standard be agreed upon?
There is a cost of adopting a standard, of course, but can’t adoption be gradual – e.g. replacement at EOL?
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Purely because back in the early 1900s each country picked their standard based on what made the most sense at the time. Which is usually what was available from the closest/largest supplier/manufacturer. Like Canada adopted the US plug because, well, the US already had a lot of them and the US significantly influences the Canadian market. Why waste their time picking their own standard when they could just take the work the USA already did.
But, this meant differences between countries and continents.
Now, 100 years later, we have to deal with it simply because it would be way to expensive for countries to redo their ENTIRE electrical systems to adopt a new standard. It’s way simpler to just keep the standards they have, because the only people it really bothers is travelers, who are a very small portion of people and can also buy just a cheap converter
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