The iPhone 12 may not come with a charging adapter — what's your take on that?

Mike Dee

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I have fast charging turned off on a schedule for when I am sleeping. I just don't want to listen to the charger fan running and obviously I don't care if it takes 3 hours to charge.
At night I agree, there's no reason to fast charge. Samsung devices allow you to disable fast charging from either cube or wireless charging so you can have the best of both worlds.
 

Mike Dee

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According to Apple, it's to ensure that the prices for the iPhone 12 are the same or not much higher than the 11, to make up for the extra 5G cost.

But still...not including a charger + cable (which costs at least $30 separately I think) is silly.

Give me a break...not you...Apple. while I realize that reduces their bottom line, that's just bull. They can afford to include the charger without raising prices. Even if they were to raise the price based on their cost, do they really expect us to believe they will turn away customers? It sounds like a money grab to sell accessories at a huge profit.
 
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customshopkv1

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Couldn't resist
b2298dd88cccf6076f1f01406cac5e10.jpg
 

illdini

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If the price of the phone dropped accordingly, I'd be ok with it. I'm still using the charger from the S8 (different cable tho).
 

darkkterror

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I've had a Note 10 Plus since launch day. I still have the original box here. Know what is still inside the original box? The original earbuds, power brick, and USB cable, because I never used them.

Not saying that is the case for everybody, but there are at least some people that would get along just fine without them. I do understand the value loss here, though. You pay $1000+ for a phone and it doesn't come with a charger or cable. You'd think they could just cut their profit margin by a couple of bucks so they could still include these accessories but nope.
 

mustang7757

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Give me a break...not you...Apple. while I realize that reduces their bottom line, that's just bull. They can afford to include the charger without raising prices. Even if they were to raise the price based on their cost, do they really expect us to believe they will turn away customers? It sounds like a money grab to sell accessories at a huge profit.
This still my favorite mac-pro-parody.jpeg
 

Morty2264

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That sounds preposterous. Apple is a billion-dollar company - actually, I just Googled it and it's worth around 1.6 trillion dollars! TRILLION! I am sure they could include an adapter in each box!
 

Ry

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Yes, I would buy a phone that doesn't come with a charger. I have too many already. The last time I used the charger that came with the phone was when I bought the original Moto Z Force Droid and that was because it was my first USB-C phone. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my Moto Z2 Play. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my iPhone XR. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my Moto Z4. Phones in mature markets should not ship with chargers in the box.
 

SvenJ

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Everybody seems to be focused on Apple saving money, or conversely, being flush enough they can throw in a charger. The reality is that there are just tons of chargers out there in peoples hands. We don't need to produce one for every device. I have two shoeboxes full of these things, beyond those that are actually in use. I have bought third party ones with multiple ports so I don't need to carry so much traveling, and in most cases have found something significantly better than what came in the box. You also need to consider the EU ruling that will supposedly go into affect next month (https://www.androidheadlines.com/2020/02/eu-common-charger-rule.html). Ostensibly all phones will be required to have the same charger and cable. A primary reason for this is "the need to recycle old chargers and cables", because "when buyers get new phones, old phone chargers end up in drawers and collect dust." If this really happens, you in the EU will likely have to buy a different charger than everyone else. Makes sense for Apple not to include one and just let you get the EU official brick. The cable will be another story, as the EU has frozen progress at USB-C. This might be some of the genesis for the portless Apple rumors. Lightning would be 'outlawed'. In any case, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone buying an iPhone, or any smartphone, that doesn't have some way to charge it at home already, what with PCs, laptops, old chargers, power strips with USB ports, etc. Even if you are that one person that really has none, and you can't afford a $10 charger (not Apple) after buying your $1000 phone, ask a friend. You know someone who has an extra, or two, or three.
 

Mooncatt

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That sounds preposterous. Apple is a billion-dollar company - actually, I just Googled it and it's worth around 1.6 trillion dollars! TRILLION! I am sure they could include an adapter in each box!
A company's net worth isn't very telling for this.

I couldn't find 2019 numbers, but it looks like they sold 217.72 million iPhones in 2018. If we estimate cost of production of adding the charger and cable at $15 each (including R&D, added packaging, added skipping costs, etc.), that's a direct hit of just over $3 billion to their revenue if they don't adjust their pricing. Another source I found showed iPhone sales accounted for 52% of Apple's revenue. That's nothing to bat an eye at.

What I would love to know, but couldn't find out, is the net profit margin on iPhones. I found many gross profit margin numbers, but that only factors in the direct costs of manufacturing, not including other related expenses. I.e. Advertising, researching, office staff, etc are not included. That would be the real number to pay attention to. Even with them being one of the top manufacturers, they are still held to the laws of market competition.

Now factor in their declining market share, and stuff like this makes a lot of sense.
 

Javier P

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I think any device should be fully functional out of the box and not depend on extra gadgets or additional costs.

This is a forum for mostly nerds but most people don't keep several phones at the same time. They trade, sell, give away or discard the old one. This could mean a lack of an up to date charger (connector, fast charging ...).

I agree that there are already too many unused chargers in the world but a mature, honest market should work in a different way. Include the proper charger with the original price and offer a discount, or a case or whatever in case the buyer doesn't need it. The other way around sounds more like greed and cheating the price comparison reviews than a sign of a mature market.
 

Morty2264

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You raise valid points! I'm definitely not well versed in economics - just in giving my two cents' worth wherever I can.

I guess I was quicker to cast a stone because Apple is infamous for getting people to buy only *their* own products and merchandise. Having consumers to pay for an adapter out of pocket is kind of a drag.

However, I guess if one is already heavily entrenched in the Apple world, they probably have cables, adapters, and other such things at home.
A company's net worth isn't very telling for this.

I couldn't find 2019 numbers, but it looks like they sold 217.72 million iPhones in 2018. If we estimate cost of production of adding the charger and cable at $15 each (including R&D, added packaging, added skipping costs, etc.), that's a direct hit of just over $3 billion to their revenue if they don't adjust their pricing. Another source I found showed iPhone sales accounted for 52% of Apple's revenue. That's nothing to bat an eye at.

What I would love to know, but couldn't find out, is the net profit margin on iPhones. I found many gross profit margin numbers, but that only factors in the direct costs of manufacturing, not including other related expenses. I.e. Advertising, researching, office staff, etc are not included. That would be the real number to pay attention to. Even with them being one of the top manufacturers, they are still held to the laws of market competition.

Now factor in their declining market share, and stuff like this makes a lot of sense.
 

customshopkv1

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Yes, I would buy a phone that doesn't come with a charger. I have too many already. The last time I used the charger that came with the phone was when I bought the original Moto Z Force Droid and that was because it was my first USB-C phone. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my Moto Z2 Play. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my iPhone XR. I did not use the charger that came in the box with my Moto Z4. Phones in mature markets should not ship with chargers in the box.
My household is full of iPhone user so whenever I got a new iPhone, someone in the house got the charger, cable and wired headphones. I managed to use a iPad block with the extended AC cord for more length. Had that for 5 years or so.
 

Ry

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That sounds preposterous. Apple is a billion-dollar company - actually, I just Googled it and it's worth around 1.6 trillion dollars! TRILLION! I am sure they could include an adapter in each box!

Even they have limits. I think it was the Verge that covered this a few years back (I can't find the article, it might have been on their podcast) but there was a shortage on their Lightning connectors. I didn't know this until that article but Apple produces all Lightning connectors for products in their MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) program. That means legitimate third-party companies like Amazon, Anker, Aukey, Belkin, RAVPower, etc. all relied on Apple directly to make compatible cables. During the peak of this shortage, Apple was shipping the Lightning to 3.5" adapter, USB-A to Lightning power cable, and Lightning headphone in every new iPhone box. That's three Lightning connectors! Third-party folks weren't able to get enough at the time.

Specifically for mature markets where a new phone purchase isn't their first phone, phones really don't need to ship with chargers anymore. It is very wasteful IMO.
 

Ry

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You raise valid points! I'm definitely not well versed in economics - just in giving my two cents' worth wherever I can.

I guess I was quicker to cast a stone because Apple is infamous for getting people to buy only *their* own products and merchandise. Having consumers to pay for an adapter out of pocket is kind of a drag.

However, I guess if one is already heavily entrenched in the Apple world, they probably have cables, adapters, and other such things at home.

iPhone users are more likely to buy another iPhone - folks don't usually switch apparently. ;)
 

bkdodger2

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I can't remember the last time I used the brick or cord on any phone recently ...but yeah throw them in the box now ...
 

Morty2264

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Wow, I didn't know that Apple had such a weight on their shoulders. You are right in that they have their limits on what they can produce.
Even they have limits. I think it was the Verge that covered this a few years back (I can't find the article, it might have been on their podcast) but there was a shortage on their Lightning connectors. I didn't know this until that article but Apple produces all Lightning connectors for products in their MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) program. That means legitimate third-party companies like Amazon, Anker, Aukey, Belkin, RAVPower, etc. all relied on Apple directly to make compatible cables. During the peak of this shortage, Apple was shipping the Lightning to 3.5" adapter, USB-A to Lightning power cable, and Lightning headphone in every new iPhone box. That's three Lightning connectors! Third-party folks weren't able to get enough at the time.

Specifically for mature markets where a new phone purchase isn't their first phone, phones really don't need to ship with chargers anymore. It is very wasteful IMO.
 

anon(50597)

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As someone else mentioned, I don't believe it's about money, it's about ecology. We are destroying this planet with junk. At what point do we realize we don't need more chargers?