Could a Universal Power Supply for Laptops Be in the Near Future?

Media reports are claiming that Taiwanese laptop manufacturers will be working together so that consumers could soon benefit from a standardized laptop power supply design so that all laptops could charge from the same power supply. The move is coming from Acer and ASUS but other OEM companies (such as Quanta and Compal) that make power supplies for other laptop manufacturers are also said to be behind the plan.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is also said to be involved in the discussions.

By introducing standards to the laptop market the parties involved are hoping to enable the interoperability that has been a hallmark of desktop PC designs. This lack of standards in the manufacturing of notebooks/laptops has led to the frustrating situation where every manufacturer has its own power supply design.

With standardization, owners of multiple laptops, netbooks, etc. could charge them all with the same adapter. This would make it much easier and cost-effective to keep one adapter at home, one at work and even another for travel.