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Kuo: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, 20W Power Adapter Will Be Sold Separately

I’m torn on this...on the one hand, it’s ridiculous for Apple to keep manufacturing tens of millions of chargers when probably 99% of potential purchasers already have at least one. On the other, it looks pathetically greedy and the vanishingly tiny minority without a charger will be confused/angry.

I think the best solution is that they allow you to add on a free charger at the time of purchase. Apple gets reduced cost, we all get less stuff for our drawers, and the landfills get less packaging and e-waste.
 
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ian87w said:
*sigh

Your argument is correct if Apple include lightning to USB-A cable with iPhone 12. It is highly likely that everyone already have a USB-A charger somewhere.
BUT, the rumor is that Apple will include lightning to USB-C cable with the iPhone 12. How many people have USB-C chargers? Even Apple only just include them with the iPhone 11 Pro. So unless you're an existing iPhone 11 Pro user, it is more likely that you don't have a right charger, thus you will have to buy a new one anyway.
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Wrong. Your current USB-A cable will still work with your current wall charger. You’re not forced to use the USB-C cable in the box! Sheesh, not rocket science!
 
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paradox00 said:
They could use their existing lightning to USB-A cables with their current chargers... those don't stop working. I'm sympathetic to the argument that there aren't as many USB-C chargers in homes yet, but we'll eventually get to the same point from an e-waste perspective. Frankly, I also prefer choice with respect to chargers. I like Anker and Aukey's chargers more than Apple's. If I'm replacing all my chargers, it's going to be with GaN ones, not some Apple half measure.
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That's assuming that the buyer is an existing iPhone owner, who is keeping the old cable. Apple seem to pride itself for having first time iPhone users buying their iPhones.
Even in this forum, I'm seeing people selling or giving their old iPhone away, highly likely with the old cable.

Anyway, this is getting a bit winded. We can agree to disagree. If this rumor is true, I don't like it, and it will only create more waste as Apple themselves have to package and ship their USB-C chargers separately instead of inside the iPhone box. I don't think this is a good move. Hopefully it's an incorrect rumor.
 
jarman92 said:
I’m torn on this...on the one hand, it’s ridiculous for Apple to keep manufacturing tens of millions of chargers when probably 99% of potential purchasers already have at least one. On the other, it looks pathetically greedy and the vanishingly tiny minority without a charger will be confused/angry.

I think the best solution is that they allow you to add on a free charger at the time of purchase. Apple gets reduced cost, we all get less stuff for our drawers, and the landfills get less packaging and e-waste.
Click to expand...

I am curious how many students with AirPods are selecting no-thanks when buying a new Mac.
 
ian87w said:
How many of those chargers have USB-C on them? Note that the cable included with the iPhone 12 is rumored to be lightning to USB-C. So far, only the iPhone 11 Pro includes USB-C charger.

Even on most Android with USB-C, the charger included are usually USB-A type.
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Fair point but in only the last couple of years, I've somehow accumulated 5 USB-C chargers from my 2 iPad Pros, a camera and god knows where these other 2 chargers came from.

These little power bricks accumulate like weeds. We don't need more of them cluttering up junk drawers, specially if they cost $15 bucks. Buy it once and forget about it for the next decade. These things don't break. We don't need a new one for every gadget we buy.
 
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ipedro said:
Sure, me too. But like I said, the number of USB chargers one has after 13 years of iPhones and years before that from other electronics, I have something like triple the number of USB chargers that of available wall sockets in my home and other places I keep a charger. Hence the box full of unwrapped chargers. These things don't stop working after a couple of years. I literally have my very first iPhone charger still plugged in my kitchen. That thing is 13 years old.
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Think about the average iPhone owner and not you. You are not the average iPhone owner. Still have my iPad gen 3. The move to USB-C is still lethargic by device manufacturers.

I have 3 iPhones (4S, 6S, X) since November 2011. I actually have very few USB-C chargers (actually just 1 due to MBP brick) thanks to Apple's reluctance to go USB-C ubiquitously in their ecosystem.

ipedro said:
Fair point but in only the last couple of years, I've somehow accumulated 5 USB-C chargers from my 2 iPad Pros, a camera and god knows where these other 2 chargers came from.

These little power bricks accumulate like weeds. We don't need more of them cluttering up junk drawers, specially if they cost $15 bucks. Buy it once and forget about it for the next decade. These things don't break. We don't need a new one for every gadget we buy.
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So do your part. Recycle yours if you feel it's a problem. Time to be proactive! Why penalize the average consumer?
 
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It has been years since I have used either the included charger or EarPods. If dropping them keeps the price down and allows them to sell a new 5G, 128GB iPhone for $649 as rumored, than it is well worth it.
 
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ipedro said:
Fair point but in only the last couple of years, I've somehow accumulated 5 USB-C chargers from my 2 iPad Pros, a camera and god knows where these other 2 chargers came from.

These little power bricks accumulate like weeds. We don't need more of them cluttering up junk drawers, specially if they cost $15 bucks. Buy it once and forget about it for the next decade. These things don't break. We don't need a new one for every gadget we buy.
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You != majority of consumers. Majority of consumers don't have 2 iPad Pros.

If you talk about USB-A chargers, I agree. Everybody probably have at least one.

It's not about needing a new one for every gadget we buy. It's about having the correct charger for the device out of the box, you know, for that "user experience" that Apple prided itself on.

If Apple included lightning to USB-A cable, then I would have no argument.
 
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As a standalone device, Apple is selling you a device with no way to charge it. Until you cough up more. People that don't follow tech stuff will be very surprised upon opening the box.
 
This is completely fine if you can buy a charger free with proof of purchase. They can adequately claim environmental reasons while saving money for those who don’t need.
If it’s forced that is just super ******.
 
So... another courageous moment for Schiller.

This is equal parts believable of Apple and unbelievable in general. Pure greed.

If someone is new to the Apple ecosystem, they are entitled to a charger in the box.

Those who already have them, can keep them as spare. No one throws the chargers away, we give them away when we sell the devices, there really is not that huge an impact on the environment here with this. There is an impact on Apple's bottomline, and that is what they are pursuing with this change.

I'd like for them to ask if we want a charger. If yes, we pay the full price, and if not, they subtract the retail price of the charger from the price of the phone package and we pay the balance.
 
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I think eventually it will make sense not to ship the chargers with the phones. I am not sure now is the right time to do it. The recent phone models consistently and considerably increased their charging amperage/voltage. People do have a lot of old chargers but those are suboptimal chargers for new phones.
 
lcseds said:
As a standalone device, Apple is selling you a device with no way to charge it. Until you cough up more. People that don't follow tech stuff will be very surprised upon opening the box.
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Definitely. When even $100 Android phones come with a charger, it's going to feel penny pinching for a so-called premium Apple brand to not include such basic accessories for their iPhones.
 
If you're spending all that money for a phone, you should have a $20 charger included. I really hope this rumor doesnt pan out.
Next Apple will be selling Macs that dont have the power cords in the box.
It was stupid when Nintendo did it with the 3DS and it'll be stupid if Apple does it.
 
ian87w said:
Every man and his dog have USB-A charger. That's probably true. But the iPhone 12 is rumored to come with lightning to USB-C cable. So that means most consumers will end up buying a new charger anyway (and many will opt for less safe 3rd party chargers). How is that good for anything (environment or whatever)? It will create more waste as now every man and his dog would throw away their old charger as the electronic waste.
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Why are so many people conflating this with the USB-C / USB-A / Lightning plug?

You can still use any old Lightning-to-USB-A cable with an upcoming iPhone, and every man and his dog own a handful of these. And if not: every supermarket these days has them at the checkout for 7 bucks or so.

There really are more important issues than a missing charger in a box, that hardly anyone will ever use.
 
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ian87w said:
Thus it goes back to those arguing about less e-waste. How is this going to be less e-waste if it's just making consumers buy more stuff?
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You'll only buy more stuff if you really need it. And a cable will produce a lot less e-waste than a charger.
 
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