Market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted that Apple might ship the next iPhone without a charger and wired earbuds in the box which would be a first for the company.
9to5Mac relayed that, according to Kuo, Apple wants to keep the iPhone 12s price close to that of the iPhone 11, and ditching these accessories will help offset the cost of new 5G networking components. Theres no word yet on whether a Lightning cable will be included.
Although this isnt confirmed yet, Id hate to see Apple go down this road. As 9to5Macs Benjamin Mayo noted, those accessories will set you back by about $63, or close to a tenth of the cost of a $699 64GB iPhone 11.
[Read: Heres the iPhone 12 rumor round-up youve been waiting for]
Apple could justify this in many different ways, but it doesnt seem customer-friendly. Sure, you might not explicitly need a new charger if you already own some other Apple products, but you might have a slow old one with a frayed cable, and thats no fun.
Its also uncertain what sort of chargers will be available when the iPhone 12 comes around. The word on the street is that Apple is working on a 20W USB-C adapter to replace its existing 18W and 5W chargers and thats the one youll be able to buy separately. It all just seems a bit cumbersome, when you dont have to do this with any other manufacturers products.
Kuo is also said to have noted that Apples decision to ditch these accessories has something to do with helping the environment, with smaller packaging for its upcoming phones. I wonder if that will make much of a difference, particularly when people start buying accessories sold, packed, and shipped separately.
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Published June 29, 2020 — 06:36 UTC
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