Barclays on iPhone 12 Lineup: No EarPods in Box and Possibly Not Even a Charger

[MecPro]

I think barclays should stick to banking and leave the rumours to others

You do know they have analysts to predict trends/movement in markets for their investment arm, Barclays Capital? This is people's day-to-day jobs.

Anyway, it will be stupid if Apple do this with no financial motive. They would be alienating people for what they "think" is a good idea, whilst presumably selling an alternative.

It's fine for people like us who post online about iPhones and are enthusiast, but I'd think the majority of people would like to have a charger. If it's an option to remove for around £10-15 less then it may make sense.

 

[trip1ex]

The 3ds shipped with no charger in Japan.

I think that concept is more normal in other countries. It is dumb to get too worked up about it as you can buy a charger if you need one. Problem solved.

at one point I had like 4 or 5 extra adapters and lightning cables. Eventually I think my kids lost them or needed a 2nd one. And now I have barely any extras.

Also I ended up buying longer cables anyway. I didn’t really need the short cables.

 

[System Of A Down]

Oh boy! If this turns out to be true, the Apple fanbois will be DJ-ing so hard to spin this story.

 

[trip1ex]

I would never have thought a company would not include a power adapter with a device making it useless without another purchase. Except that's exactly what Nintendo did when they released the New 3DS. Should we expect anything different from a company that already doesn't even include a fast charger??

and actually the 3ds not including a charger was already the norm in Japan and maybe Europe.

 

[CarpalMac]

I sense a lack of courage from many of the commentators in this thread....

 

[crcuilla]

So what I could see them doing is making this an a la carte thing:

1. Pick your phone
2. Pick your charger: wired or wireless or none (already have one)
3. Pick your earpiece: wired or wireless or none (already have one)

That could make this report make sense.

 

[compwiz1202]

2022: iphones ship as a pile of unassembled parts, with an IKEA-like instruction sheet.

There will be a thread up to 10K+ replies of How the Heck do I connect A to B.

 

[boss.king]

So what I could see them doing is making this an a la carte thing:

1. Pick your phone
2. Pick your charger: wired or wireless or none (already have one)
3. Pick your earpiece: wired or wireless or none (already have one)

That could make this report make sense.

This is exactly what I expect as well. It's the environmentally friendly thing to do and fits with how they already most of their other devices.

 

[tranceking26]

You do know they have analysts to predict trends/movement in markets for their investment arm, Barclays Capital? This is people's day-to-day jobs.

Be that as it may, I am yet to see a correct prediction from them, plus this latest one is laughable at best, especially with all the replies on this thread. It's given me a good laugh.

Point me to a correct prediction and I will happily change my mind.

 

[compwiz1202]

Rumour : iPhone 13 will be optional. The box will ship empty.
iPhone 14 : Nothing will ship at all . You will pay the full price and receive an email congratulating you on being the owner of the first virtual iPhone.

It will be a clip from Willy Wonka of Gene Wilder shouting "You get Nothing!!!"

 

[MecPro]

Be that as it may, I am yet to see a correct prediction from them, plus this latest one is laughable at best, especially with all the replies on this thread. It's given me a good laugh.

Point me to a correct prediction and I will happily change my mind.

Maybe not Apple one's but I'm sure they have market based ones - but I rarely stay onto of this stuff, I just used to work for Barclays.

 

[usagora]

Exactly. Who would ship a phone without any way to charge it? Think of people who are buying their first phone and don't already have a collection of chargers. That's a stupid thing to report.

They're referring to the USB Power adapter that plugs into the mains. You can still charge it with the included cable using any powered USB port.

 

[terryzx]

GREED

 

[usagora]

From an ecological viewpoint that sounds like a really good idea. Let people buy chargers as accessories if they really need one. Sooner or later, Apple will kill the physical charging port anyway.

Agreed. Always hilarious to watch people complain about having to buy a $10-20 power adapter when spending like $700-$1400 on a phone.

 

[LiveM]

Who do they think they are? A Nintendo 3ds? 😆

Exactly. Didn’t stop the 3DS from continuing Nintendo’s total domination of the market. I think it would be a good thing, since it would reduced the costs on all fronts and not stop those who need a charger from getting one.

 

[usagora]

Both things call to the circular logic of leaving power chords, keyboards and mice out of computer boxes as well - since everyone has them.

No, that would make a lot of sense, actually. As long as the base price is compensated for that, let the user choose at the time of purchase if they need to add a keyboard and mouse.

 

[Deliro]

From an ecological viewpoint that sounds like a really good idea. Let people buy chargers as accessories if they really need one. Sooner or later, Apple will kill the physical charging port anyway.

If they took 20 off the price and offer a box without a charger I would do it. But not including and keeping the same price point ? Sounds like greed.
[automerge]1593118905[/automerge]

Exactly. Didn’t stop the 3DS from continuing Nintendo’s total domination of the market. I think it would be a good thing, since it would reduced the costs on all fronts and not stop those who need a charger from getting one.

As long as that reduced cost is reaped by the customer and not Apple.

 

[usagora]

But not including and keeping the same price point ? Sounds like greed.

I always sort of chuckle at these remarks. Companies like Apple exist to make a profit. If the phone would sell for the same price without the charger as with it, then so be it. It's not "greed" to maximize profit if the market will bear it. Greed would be to price yourself OUT of the market, thus shooting yourself in the foot.

Besides, if the iPhone 12 indeed comes without the charger, how would we know for sure what the price would have been if it had included a charger?

 

[liberte1776]

This would be really DUMB.

 

[joeblow7777]

Exactly. Who would ship a phone without any way to charge it? Think of people who are buying their first phone and don't already have a collection of chargers. That's a stupid thing to report.

I don't know... What do you think will happen if the iPhone goes totally port-less as rumours suggest, do you see them packing a wireless charging pad in the box?

There was also a Nintendo 3DS model released some years ago that came with no charger.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Right. Except I thought that the AirPods and the iPhone were supposed to communicate somewhat differently because of the W-1 chip and that the handshaking that was going on was more stable. In fact the upcoming AirPods firmware or software release (possibly along with iOS and Mac OS releases) are supposed to make the switching of devices seamless and automatic. Currently if I want to listen with my AirPods on my MacBook Pro and I put the buds in, they pair to my phone, and I must go into my Mac menus and select and connect to transition the AirPods over to the Mac. Soon, apparently just playing audio with the AirPods in on a different device will change the connection.

Even though the W1 manages other functions, it's at least in part a BT transceiver chip. So, if Apple has allowed bugs in its implementation of the BT stack, for example, those bugs very much could also affect AirPods.

I believe what I am suffering from, while it could be a software bug, is that at 2 years old, my AirPods are unfortunately toast. That's kind of disappointing.

The problem could also stem from multiple bugs in various software components... Or could be a hardware failure -- though I would put that at the bottom of the list of possibilities.

 

[dwsolberg]

Just donate them.

You're right, of course, but that takes effort and time. I'd prefer that we just get the phone in the box and buy the other pieces if I need them. People don't realize that the extra chargers and cords are not "free"; rather they are part of the price of the iPhone, whether you need them or not. Maybe Apple could address the concern by discounting the combination of Phone, cord and accessories so it all totals up. Of course, then they'd be missing some profit margin on the "free" stuff when people like me skip the unneeded accessories or buy better and cheaper ones from Anker on Amazon.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Both things call to the circular logic of leaving power chords, keyboards and mice out of computer boxes as well - since everyone has them.

No, that would make a lot of sense, actually. As long as the base price is compensated for that, let the user choose at the time of purchase if they need to add a keyboard and mouse.

:: coughs :: Mac mini I'm very much in favor of a la carte if it's offered in a fairly reasonable way.

 

[jcshas]

Way to keep your investors happy, Apple. 👎🏻

 

[crcuilla]

There's a lot of negativity about the rumor. But even if true, it's likely they are just shifting to an a la carte model that gives people more choice including the option to not get these extras because you already have them. This is likely more positive than negative.