Apple will no longer ship charging adapters or headphones with any of its iPhones, according to a report from GSM Arena.
During its “Hi, Speed” launch event, Apple finally confirmed weeks of rumours that it would be excluding the items from its iPhone 12 box.
Sources close to Apple claimed the move would offset the additional costs of adding 5G to its smartphones, allowing the company to price the iPhone 12 range at the same or similar prices as the iPhone 11.
However, Apple VP of Environment Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson said the company had decided to remove these items from the box to reduce carbon emissions.
Jackson stated there were already over 2 billion Apple power adapters and 700 million Lightning headphones in circulation around the world.
In addition to decreasing e-waste and lowering the need for mining of precious materials, excluding the devices reduces the size and weight of the Phone box, which allows the company to fit up to 70% more products on a shipping palette.
“Taken all together, the changes we’ve made for iPhone 12 cut over 2 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions annually. It’s like removing 450,000 cars from the road per year,” Jackson said.
GSM Arena said it has learned that this change has now been carried over to the boxes of the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, and 2020 iPhone SE.
Charging cable problem
Apple’s iPhone 12 box still includes a charging cable, which uses a Lightning to USB-C interface.
This means many iPhone users with older USB-A adapters will have to purchase a new power adapter to charge their smartphone via a power outlet.
The iStore in South Africa currently charges R649 for the 18W USB-C adapter, while the new 20W charger retails for $20 in the US.
Alternatively, they could use their older Lightning to USB-A cable with the older power adapter.
This is assuming the cable is still in a working condition, given the fact that these cables are renowned for breaking.
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Source: mybroadband
