Apple Retail Staff Drilled to Recommend iPhone 15 USB-C Charging Accessories at Point of Sale

[MacRumors]

With Apple's iPhone 15 series launch potentially now just two weeks away, Apple retail employees are reportedly being drilled to emphasize to customers at the point of sale that the switch to USB-C means the new devices cannot be charged with existing Lightning charging cables that they may already own.

When customers purchase a new iPhone 15 model, Apple staff will be trained to caution that while a USB-C to USB-C cable is included in the box, a USB-C charger is not. Employees will therefore direct customers to the in-store availability of Apple USB-C power adapters and additional Apple-certified USB-C cables to meet the need for multiple charging locations.

Apple has used its proprietary Lightning port on iPhone models for over 10 years, but in recent years Apple's Macs and iPads have all transitioned to the more common USB-C charging standard. Pressure to comply with new regulations implemented in Europe reportedly hastened the company's decision to switch to USB-C for iPhones, however despite its initial reluctance to make the change in 2023, Apple stands to profit enormously from the switch.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple in March significantly increased the total shipment forecast of its 20W USB-C charger by approximately 120% for the third quarter of this year, and set 20W USB-C charger shipments at about 70 million units for the fourth quarter. Overall, Apple's 20W USB-C charger shipments in 2023 are anticipated to see a significant 30–40% year-on-year growth, amounting to 230–240 million units, thanks to the strong replacement demand.

Kuo believes Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 series will include support for faster charging speeds when used with MFi-certified USB-C chargers, including its own 20W Power Adapter, while Leaker ShrimpApplePro has said that iPhone 15 models will only officially support USB-C accessories certified by the Apple Made for iPhone (MFi) program.

Meanwhile Apple supplier Foxconn is said to be producing accessories like EarPods and cables with USB-C connectors that are MFi certified, and Apple is also expected to release a new AirPods Pro USB-C charging case.

At least some of the iPhone 15 models could support charging speeds up to 35W, which would allow for quicker charging with an appropriate power adapter. It is not clear if this is a feature that will be available for all of the iPhone 15 models or just the iPhone 15 Pro models.

At the current time, the iPhone 14 models can charge at a maximum of around 27W, with the Pro models able to charge a bit faster. An increase to 35W would speed up charging times. If the ‌iPhone 15‌ models support up to 35W charging, Apple could start recommending its 30W MacBook Air charger or its 35W Dual USB-C charger for maximum charging speed.

Overall, Apple stands to gain significant revenue from USB-C accessory sales as it effectively renders obsolete Lightning cables and connecting USB-A chargers already used by millions of Apple customers worldwide. With iPhone 15 prices expected to increase, many customers in the market for a new model this year will also therefore have to brace themselves for the additional financial burden of replacement chargers and cables.

Apple will unveil the iPhone 15 series at an event scheduled for Tuesday, September 12 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. A live stream of the event will be available on YouTube, on Apple's website, and in the Apple Events app for the Apple TV.

Article Link: Apple Retail Staff Drilled to Recommend iPhone 15 USB-C Charging Accessories at Point of Sale

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

They’re drilling staff now? Jeez some people will do anything to make a point!

 

[Kylo83]

I thought we would have new higher wattage adaptors for faster charging now it shows the pros won’t have faster than 20w charging using the official brick

 

[ScottishDuck]

Breaking news: staff at store told to sell products

 

[AndiG]

I'll sit in an Apple store and listen to the sales staff praise USB-C to the skies and convince the ligthning clientele that USB-C is the new hot 💩 they can't live without.

Tears will run down my cheeks from laughter.

 

[jchap]

There is, of course, the option of plugging the new iPhones into a computer with a USB-C port that can deliver enough charging power, or of using a conversion cable to USB-C for their existing adapter. Hopefully those options will also be mentioned in Apple's training, rather than just upselling adapters as the "quick fix".

 

[Anappleaday29]

Kinda strange to me that they don't have some kind of charging recycling program where you can bring in your old usb A plugs to get a couple bucks off a new apple certified usb-c one.
That way unnecessary e-waste is reduced and everyone has what they need to use their phones

 

[NightFox]

Random comment, but the headline reminded me of when Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone and people were drilling holes in their cases after a few spoof reports said the jack was still actually there and working but just covered up.

 

[DeepWebinar]

our most courageous iphone ever

 

[BuffaloTF]

Outside of audiences like this - probably a very necessary, smart even, thing to be doing. I imagine there's going to be a lot of people snapping the male end in half trying to jam a lightning cable into the socket.

 

[xxray]

When customers purchase a new iPhone 15 model, Apple staff will be trained to caution that while a USB-C to USB-C cable is included in the box, a USB-C charger is not. Employees will therefore direct customers to the in-store availability of Apple USB-C power adapters and additional Apple-certified USB-C cables to meet the need for multiple charging locations.

This applied for the 12, 13, and 14 series though, too. The cable in the box has been lightning to USB-C, so people still would’ve needed to get a new USB-C charging brick the past 3 years without Apple employees telling them that.

 

[klasma]

Kinda strange to me that they don't have some kind of charging recycling program where you can bring in your old usb A plugs to get a couple bucks off a new apple certified usb-c one.
That way unnecessary e-waste is reduced and everyone has what they need to use their phones

Or they could have included a USB-A to USB-C dongle in the box.

 

[rjw1678]

This is the reason why they stopped including chargers with the iPhones a couple years ago, the change to USB-C was going to generate Extra revenue by also selling USB-C chargers. This is inovation by selling a phone that you can not charge the battery unless you also buy a charger.

 

[kerr]

Like AirPods Pro with USB-C case?

 

[Kiwamu]

This is the reason why they stopped including chargers with the iPhones a couple years ago, the change to USB-C was going to generate Extra revenue by also selling USB-C chargers. This is inovation by selling a phone that you can not charge the battery unless you also buy a charger.

With my 13 mini coming with USB-C the end of the charger and Lightning at the end of the phone and iPads already coming with an USB-C to USB-C cable and USB-C charger, those upsales are just for the older phones that came with USB A to USB C, also if people, which I assume have stock USB-C chargers at home (other devices than an smartphone do exist) I don't think Apple will sell that much. I assume this drilling is just to make this additional sale and dissuade buyers from using their already existing components at home.

 

[DMG35]

This isn't new. They'v been doing this since they removed the charger from the box. I remember when they first removed it and I went to pick up my iPhone on launch day. The staff was insistent that I needed their charging brick to get the maximum effectiveness and charging speed for my new iPhone. I declined.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

This isn't new. They'v been doing this since they removed the charger from the box. I remember when they first removed it and I went to pick up my iPhone on launch day. The staff was insistent that I needed their charging brick to get the maximum effectiveness and charging speed for my new iPhone. I declined.

Yep cause removing the charger was a purely profit motivated move. An easy extra charge. They said it was for the environment but it wasn’t.

 

[no_idea]

I do wonder how many claims apple will receive from customers trying to jam a lightning cable into the usb c slot and end up breaking it

 

[mectojic]

Serious question: now that iPhones are USB-C, does that mean you can get a USB-C to lightning cable, and use an iPhone 15 to charge an older (lightning) iPhone?

 

[adrianlondon]

They’re drilling staff now? Jeez some people will do anything to make a point!

Of course! All the staff currently have lightning sockets for charging themselves up at night. They need to be amended to USB-C.

They don't just go home and sleep like normal people.

 

[coredev]

I don't understand the point of this at all. There has been no charger in the box for years now. The cables that came with the last 3 (?) iPhone generations connected to USB-C, so for anyone upgrading from a recent phone, they would need no new charger at all.

Also, there are no "existing Lightning chargers", there were never any Lightning chargers, only chargers with USB-A port and Lightning to USB-A cables. But those were not used for iPhones since several years.

 

[Unami]

Kinda strange to me that they don't have some kind of charging recycling program where you can bring in your old usb A plugs to get a couple bucks off a new apple certified usb-c one.
That way unnecessary e-waste is reduced and everyone has what they need to use their phones

thatks probably the reality of greenwashing vs. showing greed. it‘s not as if they couldn‘t include a charger again with their phones, but who would want to forgo the profits of having the charger separated from the product it charges (or the cable separated from the charger you buy), and who would want to decrease the profits of selling customers new chargers by recycling the old ones? I mean, a charger + cable is €50, if it‘s a mag-safe cable, that‘s €70. Does anyone ever think of the shareholders?

 

[jlc1978]

or of using a conversion cable to USB-C for their existing adapter.

You mean Apple’s $19 adaptor vs. a $19 20W power adaptor that will fast charge models that support it?

Or they could have included a USB-A to USB-C dongle in the box.

Why? USB-C has been the standard wall plug connector for several iPhone generations. Many purchasers well no doubt already have such a wall plug.

This is the reason why they stopped including chargers with the t years ago, the change to USB-C was going to generate Extra revenue by also selling USB-C chargers. This is inovation by selling a phone that you can not charge the battery unless you also buy a charger.

The new rule requires unbundling the charger from the phone; I suspect the cable is next. Apple shareholders are grateful for the EU working to reduce eWaste.

 

[winners_doglike_08@icloud]

This is the reason why they stopped including chargers with the iPhones a couple years ago, the change to USB-C was going to generate Extra revenue by also selling USB-C chargers. This is inovation by selling a phone that you can not charge the battery unless you also buy a charger.

All iPhones will charge quite happily with an old USB-A charger and a USB-A to Lightning cable. No need to use the USB-C to Lightning cable that comes with the phone.

 

[unchecked]

Yep cause removing the charger was a purely profit motivated move. An easy extra charge. They said it was for the environment but it wasn’t.

It isn’t mutually exclusive. It can be both good for the environment while also being a profit move. If anything, the only way you can convince corporate entries to do better for the environment is to have it make business sense. Those corporate entities aren’t going to do things out of the goodness of their hearts.