Chances are, you and everyone you know or love has heard about the new iPhone 12 that Apple just announced at one of its cult-like keynote events. Now, Apple releasing a new iPhone is not surprising, it’s about as expected as the sun rising tomorrow.
While Apple has run out of ways to surprise and delight their customers as competitors and Apple find themselves on equal footing in terms of features and power, sometimes Apple finding themselves behind, they have managed to shock consumers once again and it’s not a new feature that has everyone talking.
Apple just removed the charger and headphones from its products. Meaning, all new iPhones from the iPhone 12 going forward will come without a charger or headphones, which is being touted as an environmental move.
Now, this is not a total surprise. Rumours have been out there for months that Apple was going to do this and now we know they are no longer rumours. And surprisingly, people were on board with the idea of Apple doing it.
And look, Apple has a valid point here. A lot of people have one or more orphaned chargers, cables and headphones in a random kitchen drawer. But the wider point here people are missing is: a charger is a crucial accompaniment for a phone.
What about first time iPhone users. those upgrading from older devices which will not have compatible chargers for the iPhone? The same thing for headphones, the included headphones with iPhone’s (and phones in general) don’t last very long.
Issues with people who need a charger aside, the price of the iPhone is remaining the same. How is it Apple can ship a device with less overheads (because of lack of inclusions) and yet, the price of the iPhone remains the same?
To Apple’s credit, they did drop the cost of EarPods and iPhone charger prices by $10. When you consider that Apple is probably saving more than the cost of buying a charger and EarPods outright, evidently the addition of 5G has driven up the price of the new iPhone’s (not that 5G is even widely supported in most parts of the world anyway), they’ve removed a couple of additions and kept the price of the iPhone the same.
While some will have adapters around to use, many will undoubtedly buy a new adapter to go alone with their new shiny iDevice. If you go into the Apple store, you best believe they’ll be driving you to purchase the new MagSafe charger at $65 Australian dollars.
Or you can buy yourself a USB-C adapter for $29 AUD from the Apple store to go along with the included cable.
Once again, the issue here is not necessarily that Apple has unbundled inclusions that many have come to expect when they fork out $1000+ for a new shiny aluminum phone, it’s the fact they have done it in a way that intentionally forces people to buy USB-C adapters.
We know they have done this because when you buy the new iPhone 12, it comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable. Now, a large majority of iPhone owners will have USB-A chargers. This gives them one of two options, use their old charger and cable (the cable with that trademark Apple fraying), or buy a USB-C adapter and use the included cable.
For a private company that is beholden to shareholders, pardon me for being sceptical of a company who has been marred in controversy ever since they announced the first iPhone. From poor working conditions in its factories to child labor in cobalt mines.
The irony here is honestly outstanding.
It’s marketing spin on a bullshit decision that has only been done with one real goal in mind: to increase profit for the company. It may well have come about due to the drop in sales during COVID. Environmental concerns? Pfft. Let’s face it, if Apple was _that_ altruistic, it wouldn’t be building virtually everything in China.