Taiwanese notebook manufacturers are taking the first steps toward developing a set of standards for notebook power supply units. DigiTimes reports that Acer and Asus, as well as OEMs such as Quanta, Compal, Wistron, Pegatron, and Inventec all support the idea. Between them, these companies are responsible for the production of the vast majority of notebook computers on the market today.
I will be a while before we actually start to see any results, but in the long run this could mean that you’ll be able to use a single power supply with multiple devices. Buy a notebook and you can use the same power brick to charge your tablet PC. Or if your notebook power supply gets lost in the luggage, it will likely be a lot easier to purchase a replacement.
DigiTimes suggests the initiative could also cut down on electronic waste, since you’ll only need a single power supply for multiple devices, but I suspect that people will still end up getting a new one with every computer they buy. And that’s probably OK, since you might actually want to charge your netbook, notebook, and tablet at the same time.
I think an universal power supply would not only mean one could use a single one with multiple devices but also make it easier to replace it if it is damaged or lost.
Too big for me, I don’t like the in-line power supplies. I prefer the smaller cell-phone style wall chargers that many newer netbooks come with. Good idea though, maybe they could make a smaller wall-style one with the universal plugs on the end or something.
I like this. I wish portable PCs would adopt a standard like ATX some time soon. A step in the right direction.
I agree, it would be nice if similar devices have similar power connections.