Apple’s decision to no longer include a charging brick with its iPhones was always surrounded by controversies. This decision resulted in a huge backlash from consumers, but in the end, it didn’t stop customers from buying the new iPhones. Some smartphone makers mocked Apple but followed suit (we are looking to you Samsung). However, the lack of a charging adapter is still bringing headaches to some users and even to some authorities across the globe. In the latest development, the Justice Ministry in Brazil ordered Apple to stop selling iPhones without a charger in the box. The Brazilian officials say that Apple is giving customers an incomplete product. As per the government, the lack of a charger is a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers”.
Apple can no longer sell iPhones without chargers in Brazil, that includes the iPhone 14
The court is fining Apple around R$12.275.000 ($2.34 million) for selling iPhones without chargers. Furthermore, the officials want the company to stop offering any iPhone that does not come with a power adapter. That includes the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and will probably include the upcoming iPhone 14 series. After all, the decision comes one day ahead of Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup launch.
Previously, the Brazilian state of São Paulo fined Apple in close to $2 million amount. The reason was the lack of a charger within the modern iPhones’ boxes. According to the court, it was a clear violation of the Consumer Law Code. Furthermore, Apple recently lost a 2022 lawsuit in the country after a customer who did not receive a charger sued.
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Apple is trying to argue with Brazilian officials. According to the company, not including the power adapter with the iPhone has environmental benefits. In fact, “to reduce the electronic waste” was one of Apple’s main excuses for dropping the charging adapter. However, Brazil is rejecting this argument.
Apple already made a statement to Bloomberg about the decision:
“At Apple, we consider our impact on people and the planet in everything we do,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Power adapters represented our largest use of zinc and plastic and eliminating them from the box helped cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions — equivalent to removing 500,000 cars from the road per year.” […]
“We’ve already won a number of court decisions in Brazil on this topic and are confident our customers are aware of the various options to charge and connect their devices,” the Cupertino, California-based company said.
The company states it will appeal the ruling. Honestly, we don’t think this individual decision will have an impact on Apple’s global strategy. Especially, when other smartphone makers are also joining this very controversial trend. To recall, the first iPhone without a charger was the iPhone 12. Despite the lack of chargers, the devices are still selling pretty well. If you need a charger, you can easily purchase a compatible device.
