44 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2020
iOSCENTRAL APPLE MAY REMOVE iPHONE 12’S POWER ADAPTERheadphone jack from
the iPhone 7 has there
been a rumor with
more (as Apple might
describe it) “courage.”
It’s unclear whether
Kuo is talking about
the whole iPhone 12
lineup or just the entry-
level models, but his
sources expect Apple
to ship some new
models this fall without
a charger.
That’s not cool. Granted, nearly
everyone has an old charger lying around,
and anyone who has ever owned an
iPhone or an iPad has a charger in a
drawer somewhere. But when you buy an
electronic device, whether it’s an iPhone, a
Nintendo Switch, or a MacBook, you
expect to have everything you need to
use it. Apple can spin it all they want—but
people will have a right to be upset.
BYOC
Apple has long used its iPhone chargers
to save a few bucks. While every other
phone maker has shipped its phones with
fast-charging adapters, Apple only just
started including an 18W charger with the
iPhone 11 box, and even then, only with the
Pro models. The $699 iPhone 11 still has
the same 5W charger as the original
iPhone.
But we expected Apple to expand
in-box fast charging to all iPhone 12
models, especially with battery-sucking 5G
on board. The math works: Apple charges
$19 for its 5W charger and $29 for its 18W
one, and the USB-C cable that’s required
to fast-charge costs the same as the
USB-A one ($19). And the benefit for the
user is huge. Now we might not get
anything.
Apple wants to sell the iPhone 12 at a
similar price point to the iPhone 11, and 5G
and OLED, which are rumored to be
coming to all models, aren’t cheap. So
something has to give. Dumping the
charger might only bring a few bucks in
savings for Apple, but those dollars add up
when you’re selling tens of millions of
devices every quarter.
Still though, it would be pretty shockingThe iPhone 12 might not include any of these chargers in the box.