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Honestly speaking, do people still even use these nowadays?

I've not used any supplied buds since my first Android over 10 years ago.

I bought my iPhone 11 in April. I think the EarPods are still in the box.

I have AirPods. I really don’t need any earbuds to come with my phone. This was great back in the days when smartphones were replacing iPods. But now most everyone has a stash of earbuds and headphones and/or connects via Bluetooth to everything — I have seen a combination shower fan and Bluetooth speaker at Home Depot.
 
Reserving my judgement until I see what is really in the eXqUiSiTe box or not and what connector the real 12 models in the shop have. Right now, does anybody know for sure, other than the now clear exclusion of the EarPods for at least one model? Nope.
 
Next year to save the environment and be carbon neutral, Apple will not even ship anything to you. You are buying just for the thought of buying a new iPhone.

If Apple starts selling thoughts of a once-again intuitive colorful interface that stops the frequent second-guessing and mis-presses, and restores having on the screen frequent functions instead of burying them behind hamburger icons, I’d buy it!
 
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Not supplying charging blocks or cords...flat design...the quest for zero bezels (and its reduced case-friendliness)...these are classic examples of “now little Timmy, if your friend jumps off a bridge, would you do it too?”
You got it backwards. Little Timmy took the plunge first. The rest will follow like lemmings.
 
if it's something you use a lot, you shouldn't be relying on an average pair of earbuds. it's like finding the cheapest mattress to sleep on for the next 10-15 years.
I’ve been using the apple headset with the headphone jack for many years. They work just fine for phone/music/podcasts, they don’t need charging, I can use them with my other devices and my current set has lasted me for 5 years. If I needed to replace them it would cost like $20 (which is overpriced for what they are but no where near the cost of their wireless ones).

These are basically the same headset/headphones that Apple would dedicate time to in their iPod product reveals with as much fanfare about design and engineering as they do AirPods now. Just because they are older technology doesn’t mean they are suddenly bad.
 
You got it backwards. Little Timmy took the plunge first. The rest will follow like lemmings.

I didn’t say who followed who. I intended: when one does one thing, the other usually follows, whether consumers find it to be universally appealing, unappealing, or mixed.

What’s the most curious about this new potential direction is, the action of leaving out a charger or cable is pretty much a non-impact to those who don’t need them or care, but a rather large negative impact to those who do care. When an action has a large positive impact on those who do care and a negligible impact to those who don’t care, that’s a completely different thing.
 
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I didn’t say who followed who. I intended: when one does one thing, the other usually follows, whether consumers find it to be universally appealing, unappealing, or mixed.

What’s the most curious about this new potential direction is, the action of leaving out a charger or cable is pretty much a non-impact to those who don’t need them or care, but a rather large negative impact to those who do care. When an action has a large positive impact on those who do care and a negligible impact to those who don’t care, that’s a completely different thing.
There are always those where change effects the most, even if they are in the minority. For example, when the large floppy discs ceased to be an industry standard, I'm sure there were those who were disenfranchised for their own reasons.

Those who are disenfranchised by the absence of a charger will have to make alternate plans as this appears to be a thing of the future.
 
How is this reducing packaging and environmental waste if I have to order a power supply or headphones from someone else and they have to ship it to me in a separate box through a separate carrier as part of a separate transaction?

I'm so tired of this feel-good nonsense that doesn't actually have a net positive at all. In fact, it's a net negative. Well done Tim.
Because in the vast majority of cases new owners will already have numerous power bricks at their disposal, and their own choice of earphones (wired or otherwise) already. For every customer like you who has to buy them, thousands more won’t, and that is a net positive for the environment.

Of course Apple are saving money too, but the two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
 
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Rumors have suggested that Apple's iPhone 12 models will not include power adapters or EarPods in the box, and a minor code tweak in iOS 14.2 seemingly confirms Apple's plan to sell the new devices without EarPods.

appleearpods.jpg

In iOS 14 and earlier versions of iOS, there's a mention of reducing exposure to RF energy by using the "supplied headphones," which is the same wording that Apple has used for years now.

In iOS 14.2, this wording has been tweaked to say just "headphones," removing the "supplied" part of this statement. The full code reads as follows:All prior mentions of headphones have included "supplied," and the deliberate elimination of the word in the new code strongly suggests Apple has no plans to "supply" headphones with the upcoming iPhone 12 models.

suppliedearpods.jpg



notsuppliedearpods.jpg


The mention of "supplied headphones" in iOS 14 is on the top, and the new wording without the word "supplied" is on the bottom

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May that the iPhone 12 models will not come with EarPods in the box, with Apple instead planning to introduce some kind of AirPods promotion to encourage iPhone buyers to purchase AirPods as well.

There have also been rumors that Apple is eliminating the power adapter from the iPhone 12 box, which means customers will get an iPhone 12 and a USB-C to Lightning cable with nothing else.

Barclays-iP12-remove-charger-earpods-tealish-1.jpg

The removal of the power adapter was all but confirmed when Apple released the Apple Watch Series 6 models without a power adapter, but until now, we've heard little else about the potential removal of the EarPods.

Apple has long offered EarPods with new iPhone models to give customers a way to listen to music, make calls, and more, but Apple has been aiming to transition to Bluetooth-only headphones since the launch of the AirPods and the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone lineup.

Current iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models ship with EarPods that have a Lightning connector to plug into the Lightning port, but it appears the iPhone 11 devices will be the last to come with headphones in the box.

Apple is said to be removing the power adapter and the EarPods from the iPhone 12 box in order to cut costs, as the 5G chips in the new devices are expensive. The change will also allow Apple to slim down the size of the iPhone box, reducing packaging and environmental waste.

Steve Moser contributed to this report.

Article Link: iOS 14.2 Suggests Apple Won't Include EarPods in the Box With iPhone 12
Good 👍
I have too many of those bricks already.
 
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How is this reducing packaging and environmental waste if I have to order a power supply or headphones from someone else and they have to ship it to me in a separate box through a separate carrier as part of a separate transaction?

I'm so tired of this feel-good nonsense that doesn't actually have a net positive at all. In fact, it's a net negative. Well done Tim.

This with be the next EU suit against Apple.... selling devices without the ability to power them on and requiring them to be available at not charge if people need one. Wait no, that actually might make sense so the EU wouldn't do that.

You literally need that power cable and adapter for the device to function. It's kind of like selling a car without the gas tank. Those cables and adapters don't have long lives either, so assuming we all have a hundred laying around is comical... even though I probably do, but not everyone.
 
Good 👍
I have too many of those bricks already.

Are you willing to ship me a few extra for free, if I pay for shipping? I constantly lose or break them. I look forward to receiving a new one every 3-4 years I buy a new phone or iPad. I’d be glad to help you reduce the clutter then around your office/home.
 
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I’ve been using the apple headset with the headphone jack for many years. They work just fine for phone/music/podcasts, they don’t need charging, I can use them with my other devices and my current set has lasted me for 5 years. If I needed to replace them it would cost like $20 (which is overpriced for what they are but no where near the cost of their wireless ones).

These are basically the same headset/headphones that Apple would dedicate time to in their iPod product reveals with as much fanfare about design and engineering as they do AirPods now. Just because they are older technology doesn’t mean they are suddenly bad.


Right, so if it's $20, you can easy buy it if you really needed it. Most don't as there are far better ways to enjoy audio.
 
Are you willing to ship me a few extra for free, if I pay for shipping? I constantly lose or break them. I look forward to receiving a new one every 3-4 years I buy a new phone or iPad. I’d be glad to help you reduce the clutter then around your office/home.
Good try 👍👍👍👍
 
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Are you willing to ship me a few extra for free, if I pay for shipping? I constantly lose or break them. I look forward to receiving a new one every 3-4 years I buy a new phone or iPad. I’d be glad to help you reduce the clutter then around your office/home.
I just dropped off a box full at the recycling facility, but I guess I could spare another 4-5 if you wish. However, if you're not in Sweden, shipping and customs will probably cost more than they're worth.
 
Good try 👍👍👍👍

Everyone says they have too many NIB unopened unused cables and bricks but nobody wants to give any up. Hmmm maybe getting a new set every few years with a phone for when the old ones are lost or breaks is worth it after all. :)
 
Padding profit margins under the guise of reducing its carbon footprint. Win / win for Apple. I’d be praising them if they reduced the price of the phone by the price of earbuds and a power adapter but we all know that won’t happen.

I get that they want to increase profits to make up for the ever decreasing upgrade cycle in the smartphone market but they are making plenty in service revenue which continues to grow. Behavior like this drives me nuts. Congratulations Apple. I wont be buying a 12 as I had planned. I’ll stick with my iPhone X for another year or two. Not that it matters since they’ll still make money hand over first.
 
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Hmmm maybe getting a new set every few years with a phone for when the old ones are lost or breaks is worth it after all. :)

Worth it? Producing and shipping tons of e-waste so that a small number of people do not have to spend a few dollars extra every few years? Hardly.

I wont be buying a 12 as I had planned. I’ll stick with my iPhone X for another year or two. Not that it matters since they’ll still make money hand over first.

Rethinking a $1000 purchase due to a $58 (worst case) price increase? Ok.
 
Padding profit margins under the guise of reducing its carbon footprint. Win / win for Apple. I’d be praising them if they reduced the price of the phone by the price of earbuds and a power adapter but we all know that won’t happen.
Apple may not raise the price, so there's that.

I get that they want to increase profits to make up for the ever decreasing upgrade cycle in the smartphone market but they are making plenty in service revenue which continues to grow. Behavior like this drives me nuts. Congratulations Apple. I wont be buying a 12 as I had planned. I’ll stick with my iPhone X for another year or two. Not that it matters since they’ll still make money hand over first.
So your postulating this move is strictly about revenue and not about:
- keeping the price of the iphone level with last year by.
1. reducing manufacturing costs
2. reducing shipping costs with less weight, smaller box which translates into less resources used to ship
- reducing e-waste
 
Right, so if it's $20, you can easy buy it if you really needed it. Most don't as there are far better ways to enjoy audio.

Better ways? Sure for audiophiles. But that’s a far cry from saying you shouldn’t even be using them and comparing it to a bad bed.

I’ve been on thousands of hours of conference calls using these things. They work. They not only do the job, they do it well. While they aren’t luxury items, they are quality/well made headsets.

Nothing wrong with buying luxury items if that is what you want, but I don’t think it justifies removing essential parts to the phone and saying it’s cheap, just pay for it in addition to the new phone. Or use the left overs from the last phone you bought. If it’s so cheap apple can just as easily offer them to the people that want them at no extra cost. Those that want better can decline and pay extra for better headsets.
 
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