The ban on the sale of iPhones without chargers in Brazil remains in Appel’s throat. The American giant will like it.
In Brazil, the Ministry of Justice has banned Apple from selling iPhones without chargers. The tech giant was also fined around 2 million euros and its iPhone 12 registration with the national telecommunications company Anatel was cancelled. The Cupertino company stopped integrating chargers into its smartphones in 2020, namely with the release of the iPhone 12, in order to protect the environment.
Ban on selling an iPhone without a charger in Brazil
The company explained that it is now shipping devices without an AC adapter in order to shorten manufacturing processes for each device. In its 2021 State of the Environment Report, Apple said this decision to remove chargers saved 861,000 tonnes of copper, zinc and tin. In addition, the ability to streamline shipments—because boxes are less bulky and pallets can hold 70% more iPhone 12 boxes—allows Apple to reduce its carbon footprint.
stays on Apple’s throat
Brazilian authorities weren’t convinced by Apple’s explanation and thought the giant might have taken other steps to help the environment, such as adding USB-C charging support to its iPhones. Authorities say selling devices without power adapters is “a deliberate discriminatory practice against buyers.”
The decision comes after the completion of an investigation launched in December by the ministry. The state of São Paulo previously fined Apple about €1 million for selling iPhones without chargers.
American giant will like it
Apple has yet to remove its latest iPhone 13s from Brazilian online stores, but told Reuters it will continue to work with authorities to “resolve these issues.”The spokesman also told the newspaper that the Cupertino-based company would appeal the decision. “We have already won several lawsuits in Brazil over this and we are convinced that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their devices,” the giant explained. Please note that Samsung has partnered with the Sao Paulo authorities to offer a free charger with any pre-order of the Samsung Galaxy S21. It’s hard to say if the Apple brand will do the same with its iPhone 14.