So do you think MORE chargers have now been manufactured since chargers were removed from boxes?!?!?!
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iPad Why do some countries not receive a charging brick with the new iPad?
- Thread starter ric22
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It’s possible, but probably roughly the same overall since Apple are still producing them in lower quantities. It’s now worth Belkin, Anker et al making more in the hopes of capturing a slice of the market that they wouldn’t before (sales from people who would have been perfectly happy with a bundled charger but refuse to buy it from Apple/Samsung/whoever since they are of the view that they have been greedy by removing the charger from everyone and not dropping the price.) As per an earlier post, even producing with and without at the same price and offering both would have been compliant. If less of the with were produced, most would buy without if it meant they could get the new device sooner and they wouldn’t have the ill feeling they do now. They would be choosing to absorb the charger cost to make it easier to get the device in their desired colour/storage/connectivity rather than being forced to buy a charger if they don’t yet have one.
Apple get to save money by not manufacturing a charger. Then they get to make extra profit by selling one separately as an add on. Why would any company break a law that only benefitted them? They wouldn't.
How, in any way, is the user the winner, aside from a minuscule environmental impact of maybe hoarding fewer chargers?
Also, how is it "too late"? Would you have banned bundled chargers before the advent of USB-C, or even before the advent of USB-A? Why?
It might be hard to fathom, but there's always a price war between large tech selling companies. These companies are not the so-called distributers, but the manufacturing company had to go with the rules of those tech sellers, in other words, they dictate the price. If a device won't get sold within certain time, say 4 weeks, the seller has the right to cut the price down, on a certain agreement. And, then further time limit another cut. For the tech selling companies, it is just a product, and has to be sold. If that product is not sold, something else will be. All payments are done after the sale, and after a certain time, to the manufacturer or its agent. And, all those unsold products are returned to the manufacturer or its agent. That's how the business works, whether the product is milk, potatoes, apples, phones or computers. No seller company would pay for products upfront. It is just a product for them, any product. Most times, the manufacturer or its agent, or sales representative buys the shelf area to better showcase the product. Business is by rolling the money, sell any product to get the money and roll the profit. There's a profit margin, and if the product is not sold at that margin, the price will be cut down, or the product is returned, at the cost of the manufacturer or its agent.
On the matter of a charger, why should any user buy an expensively priced charger, when the same tech shop sells quite a few brands of very much cheaper chargers? Those chargers sold in that tech shop must fulfil certain consumer laws of the given country, otherwise the tech shop will pay fines. Those fines would be passed over to the manufacturer. So, no one really wants to get into trouble. Fines could be quite tough.
Standards between legal chargers massively vary, even in the most developed countries. Look at teardowns if you don't believe me. So very many are real junk that isn't good for your super expensive devices. The regulation is way too minimal.
That’s my philosophy. If Apple or other manufacturer doesn’t include the charger, I’d rather buy a better quality one from Anker or Belkin for roughly the same price. They had hundreds of pounds off me for the device so i’ll give the charger business to a company who are dedicated to it and who often offer them cheaper and better.
Cellular bands wouldn’t make a difference. Some countries that sell the model sold in the UK come with a power supply. (UAE as an example)
There's no such thing as legal chargers, but chargers that has to satisfy certain criteria. Actually my MBP charges from one from a well known company in my country, and it is always connected, quite cool to touch. And, much cheaper.
Thanks, I wasn’t an aware of this.
The benefit to the consumer of USB-C could be argued to be getting rid of lightening, the least durable of connector types. With lightening you might well have a cable go before the device and have to buy a new one, while with USB C you probably won’t.
Other than that, I certainly don’t benefit. I don’t need the speeds of it and all devices taking the same connector can mean a queue for the charger. Why shell out for a charger when X already has one that is compatible? There is then either an argument, the owner of the charger putting up with the situation or buying a charger because Y wasn’t provided with one and didn’t feel (not unreasonably in my view) that charging their device shouldn’t cost them more than the electricity required. Not that I borrow chargers by the way.
My point is that the option should be: in the box and for a cheaper price than the separately packaged one.
If the narrative for removing it from the box by default is that it is to protect the environment, and not to maximise profits, the separate box at full price contradicts that narrative in 2 ways:
- it creates more waste with separate packaging
- it turns the charger into a separate very high margin item
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personally I don’t understand the moaning about a charger. When you order a device in a specific country it’s very clear when you order it what’s in the box…. It’s either there or it’s not. If it’s not and you don’t already have one then you can easily buy one. Broadly similar to cars, different markets have different options included (or not), different warranty lengths etc. Its life 😁
It sucks for sure that Apple removed the 20W chargers for the new ipads from the box. It should be noted though that apart from the Apple 140w and 70w chargers, all Apple chargers are Silicon based which is old tech now (bulky and mostly single usb c port). Everyone should be upgrading their chargers to multi port GaN chargers like from Anker, U Green, Belkin, Voltme etc (4 port 65w is on average £35). I am actually quite shocked that a company like Apple who are on the forefront of tech have not changed all their chargers to GaN technology yet, their 35w dual usb c charger is a prime example, perfect for the masses that one.
The goal is to minimize production and purchases of new chargers, and delaying it would also delay achieving that goal. Personally I have enough chargers accumulated, so if new devices would come with additional chargers, those would have been unnecessarily produced in my case. So overall the production of chargers is reduced by the regulation.
I’m skeptical myself that this makes a dent in the global environmental problems, but with respect to the goal stated above, it is an effective measure, because people now have to go out of their way to buy a new charger, instead of always getting it in the box whether they need it or not.
I think there are better places to start with rather than affecting end users with this, but okay.
It’s just a little sad that many people don’t have enough stockpiled and they will presumably have to buy more because of this.
Like I said, I’d understand if there really were an excess quantity, like with 5w chargers. It’s a little more dubious with this. Had they kept Lightning, I’d agree. Not now.
Well, yes... Anker, Ugreen etc. have to make attractive chargers that people actually want to buy at retail price.
Apple is still "giving away" chargers with iPads in the US and Macs everywhere - and where they do drop them they're probably hoping that people will just tick the box and buy an Apple charger without shopping around. Although we may trust Apple not to make trashy, dangerous adapters, they have no incentive to spend one penny extra producing nice ones.
It's really up to consumers to shop around and not just pay Apple's premium prices - and post-USB-C you can buy one adapter that will charge your phone/tablet, small laptop, headphones and internet-connected nail clipper simultaneously.
iPhones started shipping with an 18W USB-C power adapter + USB-C to Lightning cable in 2019 (https://everymac.com/systems/apple/iphone/specs/apple-iphone-11-pro-max-global-a2218-specs.html) - if you don't have an iPhone, many Android phones switched to USB-C years ago - the Google Pixel has come with an 18W USB-C charger since 2017. Macbooks have come with USB-C chargers since 2016. I don't think having a 5+ year-old smartphone or Mac makes you a "tech enthusiast" these days.
I don't think anybody here has any hard data on who does or doesn't have a "stockpile" of adapters - but you don't need a "stockpile", just one iPhone, MacBook, or one of many non-Apple adapters bought in the last 5 years.
...and if not, it's a good time to get a new, multi port USB-C charger, because the new GaN ones are much smaller and lighter & can charge multiple devices - and the EU regs mean that a lot of other rechargeable electronic devices that previously came with proprietary, non-USB-C charging bricks are going to charge via USB-C.
Yeah, and my phone is an iPhone Xʀ. I’d like maybe three or four if my iPad will share charger with the iPhone... not one for each.
But that’s just me. That’s what I’ve been doing. I have several 5w and 10w and I manage them just fine.
I don’t want a multi-port, I like original Apple chargers.
The narrative for the EU is to protect the environment.
The narrative for the companies who are having to follow the EU regulation is to protect the environment and make more money.
Offering chargers cheaper when bundled is exactly the opposite of what these companies want to do!
And they stopped shipping chargers in 2020. In 2019 most of their phones still shipped with 5w chargers.
So unless you bought a specific iPhone in one specific year, you're out of luck.
That's the beauty of advertisement, the blind belief.
It is quite unbelievable that the consumers allowed Apple to create those premium prices, allowing themselves to pay for that, thinking that they are in an elite club. Some even worry that if they don't pre-pay for a product, the company might go bankrupt, and stop producing their 'beloved' product(s). Most forget that we are in the 21st century and the products we have at home are still very good, and will live another 5 or so years.
That's absolutely excellent! I'd be very glad to leave a safer environment in that EU for our grandchildren.
Companies are always after profits, in whatever way, so the regulations curbing that, especially to save the environment. A company board meeting is always about how to make more profit, not about consumer interests, but about how to fight the regulations.
The EU regulation is not about curbing profits, it’s about reducing waste. If it leads to more profit for companies then they’ll be very happy to support that.
And companies claim it as their own initiative for marketing purposes despite it being a requirement in certain markets they operate in.
That's what I said, the EU regulation is about reducing waste, and I am all for it.
That's up to the consumers, by stop allowing the companies to dictate prices. If you don't buy a product at the prices they are initially sold, not getting caught to advertisements, what can the companies do? They have to cut prices. The manufacturer cannot have a shop in every city in the world, so have to sell through tech shops, seller companies. They dictate th prices after a while. But, most important are the end buyer, us. If we learn to wait, we can dictate the price at what we would buy the given tech product, any product.
Even if you are in a hurry to buy the newest product, against your own reasoning, try to bargain the price. The seller at the counter first would say no, it can't be done, but when you turn away, he'd say he'd consult the manager. Most times, you get a discount, but silently, so the other clients won't see. The manager can, as it is just a product, he has to get rid of.