Apple Stops Providing EarPods With iPhones Sold in France

[MacRumors]

Apple has confirmed it no longer provides customers with complimentary EarPods in the box with every iPhone sold in France, citing the environmental benefits of having a thinner iPhone box thanks to the lack of a charger and earphones.

In an update on Apple's French website, the company no longer states that EarPods will be included in the box for any of its iPhones. Apple now lists only the iPhone itself and a USB-C to Lightning cable.

Earlier in the month, notices posted by French carriers indicated that starting January 24, Apple would no longer include EarPods in the box with iPhones sold in France. Under previous French law, Apple was lawfully obligated to include EarPods in the box based on the precautionary principle, because the risks of exposing developing brains to electromagnetic waves are not clearly known.

Newly passed law in the country no longer requires that smartphones makers such as Apple and Samsung include headphones in the box. Instead, they must ensure compatible headphones are available separately as an optional accessory.

Apple removed EarPods and the power adapter from all iPhone boxes starting with the iPhone 12 in 2020. Apple's decision has been controversial in several countries, with the tech giant facing a fine of $2 million in Brazil.

Article Link: Apple Stops Providing EarPods With iPhones Sold in France

 

[Deliro]

Cut to an overly produced clip of some environmental czar/VP standing near some solar panels on top of the empty Apple Offices saying how great this is.

While I get and don’t necessarily disagree. It does sting when items are removed with no reduction of price.

 

[Menel]

Europeans should be super pleased with the reduced e-waste. They've had their government pushing for similar progress for ages now.

 

[indychris]

That's some serious thinking inside the box! Just make your carbon offset check payable directly to Tim Cook!

 

[jz0309]

Was anyone expecting anything different???

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

An easy win for Apple. Adding easy/more 💰 to that 3-trillion dollar market cap. One more thing… Gone from the iPhone for the people in France.

Does anyone remember this? 😪😥

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[nvmls]

So there's France bending over, oh well.

 

[RalfTheDog]

It might be kind of cool if they left them out of the box, then asked if you wanted them. If you say yes, they hand you a set. For me, they are just a bit more clutter I don't want. It saves me the effort of finding them a home.

 

[cyanite]

Cut to an overly produced clip of some environmental czar/VP standing near some solar panels on top of the empty Apple Offices saying how great this is.

Why would they do anything like that now? They don’t include them in general, and only did in France due to legislation that has now been changed. If they wanted a spot next to some solar panels or whatever, they’d produce it back when they made the general change (and maybe they did?)

 

[cyanite]

It might be kind of cool if they left them out of the box, then asked if you wanted them. If you say yes, they hand you a set.

Yeah… although they have to cost something (not much is needed), or many people would likely just get them just because, and it wouldn’t make much difference.

 

[KaliYoni]

“No sooner had the warm iPhone in its case touched my ear than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The sensation was that of the little EarPods which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before Mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to take off before dipping a madeleine in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the newest iPhone had recalled nothing to my mind before I used it. And all from unboxing my phone.”

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Cut to an overly produced clip of some environmental czar/VP standing near some solar panels on top of the empty Apple Offices saying how great this is.

While I get and don’t necessarily disagree. It does sting when items are removed with no reduction of price.

Curious to know how much it cost Apple to have the VP stand up on the roof. Pretty sure they had to use some sort of a crane 🏗?

All to prove: Saving the environment. We, people, got the point. They removed the charger, headphones… SIM card tray is next.

 

[Localcelebrity]

I’m happy to see European countries starting to walk back from some of the baseless FUD about Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular radios causing brain cancer and stuff.

Nonsense laws like this are part of how we wound up with people thinking 5G was going to cause COVID.

 

[ruka.snow]

SIM card tray is next

Sounds like a great idea. Why do we still need a SIM card? The amount of waste the packaging on those things is daft when you can just register a eSIM and swap it in some menu if you go abroad or change carrier.

 

[Xtir]

Apple and complimentary.. right..

 

[Freeangel1]

Why does everyone want to see APPLE getting richer and richer while cheating customers out of accessories they now need to pay extra for?

Does everyone on the Macrumors web site have a stake in the company or are part owners of the compony??


Dam.

 

[I7guy]

Why does everyone want to see APPLE getting richer and richer while cheating customers out of accessories they now need to pay extra for?

Does everyone on the Macrumors web site have a stake in the company or are part owners of the compony??


Dam.

Why do people not want some effort to go toward saving the environment?

However, to answer your question, probably 98% of MR posters are also shareholders, imo.

 

[Michael Scrip]

When Apple sells 200 million iPhones every year... that's 200 million pairs of EarPods that they would need to include in every box.

And I bet most of those EarPods never get used or even taken out of the box. That's what Apple is trying to prevent.

If they don't need to manufacture 200 million pairs of EarPods every year... those factories could possibly be used to make something else that people do want. Who knows.

As for removing items but keeping the price the same... we simply don't know Apple's costs for components.

Maybe the $1 or $2 reduction from removing the EarPods from the box is offset by a $1 or $2 increase in cost of some other component.

Who knows. I honestly don't care.

I've already spent more time typing this comment than I ever spent worrying about the included EarPods.

Now excuse me... I've got to organize my drawer of dozens of MicroUSB cables that came with every little gadget I've ever purchased...

?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Curious to know how much it cost Apple to have the VP stand up on the roof. Pretty sure they had to use some sort of a crane 🏗?

I don’t know a modern building that doesn’t provide easy walkable access to the roof. (Though, many are secured by locks… nothing I know about, of course, just from what a friend told me).

 

[trigf]

It was a dumb move to change the lightning cable from USB-A to USB-C without including a USB-C charging brick.

I just got my parents new iPhones to replace their 8’s and they still use their old lightning cables and chargers because they don‘t have any USB-C charging bricks.

 

[now i see it]

One lawmaker says earbuds should be included for the safety of the children, another lawmaker says screw the kids, earbuds aren’t required.

 

[nonuser]

I’m happy to see European countries starting to walk back from some of the baseless FUD about Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular radios causing brain cancer and stuff.

Nonsense laws like this are part of how we wound up with people thinking 5G was going to cause COVID.

Biggest thing here.

I had highest respect for European regulations before they started spread baseless claims about these technologies.

People should actually worry more about UV sunlight (and skin cancer) and cosmic rays than using earphones... Even climate change (on a daily basis) might be more worrying and troublesome that holding a phone

 

[kmoreau48]

in order to reduce the carbon footprint of Apple, I highly recommend they include airpods pro, an iPad pro and the choice between a Macbook Air or a Macbook Pro. All of this without changing the price.

This way they can deliver not 1 but 4 products in the same box, therefore making an even bigger reduction in the carbon footprint thant removing the earpods.

What do you guys think?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Biggest thing here.

I had highest respect for European regulations before they started spread baseless claims about these technologies.

People should actually worry more about UV sunlight (and skin cancer) and cosmic rays than using earphones... Even climate change (on a daily basis) might be more worrying and troublesome that holding a phone

Your post made me think that this is likely more about local sellers wanting to sell headphones and now there’s a big non-headphone having market they can sell to.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Europeans should be super pleased with the reduced e-waste. They've had their government pushing for similar progress for ages now.

An iPhone for 1300 euros without a charging adapter and earpods is not really pleasing. The earpods isn't even the biggest issue, but no charging adapter? Come on!