If CE product vendors could wave a magic wand to eliminate the need for an external power adapter for so many of their products, would they do it? If there were a way for notebook PCs, cordless phones, printers, digital picture frames, wireless routers and other products to get power without the need of an AC-DC power adapter, would the product vendors benefit?
Like the Myth Busters, we'd like to get to the bottom of the myth that product vendors want power to be non-interoperable. We'd like to hear from you about your thoughts on whether vendors enjoy benefit from or suffer unnecessary costs because of the lack of interoperable DC power solutions.
That last iPod I bought is compelling evidence to me that vendors benefit from universal power; the iPod doesn't come with a power adapter. If you want one, you have to pay extra for it. This is good both for vendors and consumers, because USB power is commonplace. I didn't buy a power adapter for my iPod; I already had 3 or 4 USB power adapters that work with my iPod and many other USB-powered products. But Apple didn't have to give me one at its expense, either.
We invite product vendors to comment on the net gain or loss they have due to the fact that today, there are no interoperable power interfaces for non-USB-powered devices.
There is a magic wand that we can wave to fix the problem. But, it will take a few years for it to be waved completely. We can get to a place where power is universal and smart power outlets are commonplace. The cost to enable devices to accept power from smart power outlets is negligible in comparison to the costs reduced in dealing with product-specific power adapters.
One challenge for product vendors is that the savings from the elimination of the product-specific power adapter happens later, even though small costs are incurred immediately. I've reviewed several economic models that all show the payback is significant and substantial, even accounting for the mismatch in timeline.
All viewpoints are welcome.
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