No sooner did we ask you if Apple should ditch the dock, than Apple Insider reports that the mobile phone and smartphone industries are beginning to come together on a universal charging solution, and that solution is micro-USB.

So far, early signees for the 2012 initiative include AT&T, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, T-Mobile, and Vodafone. Several iPhone carriers there, but not the single iPhone creator, Apple.

Of course, Apple and their licensees have invested heavily in the proprietary 30-pin dock connector, so we have to ask: facing a micro-USB standard, will that be an increasing competitive advantage, or a growing problem?