Why are Iphones sold without chargers?

SAO PAULO, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O)said on Tuesday it will appeal a Brazilian order banning it from selling iPhones without a battery charger, pushing back on claims that the company provides an incomplete product to consumers.

The Justice Ministry fined Apple 12.275 million reais ($2.38 million) and ordered the company to cancel sales of the iPhone 12 and newer models, in addition to suspending the sale of any iPhone model that does not come with a charger.

In the order, published on Tuesday in the country's official gazette, the ministry argued that the iPhone was lacking a essential component in a "deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers."

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The authorities rejected Apple's argument that the practice had the purpose of reducing carbon emissions, saying there is no evidence that selling the smartphone without a charger offers environmental protections.

Apple said it would continue to work with Brazilian consumer protection agency Senacon in order to "resolve their concerns," while saying it would appeal the decision.

"We have already won several court rulings in Brazil on this matter and we are confident that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their devices," Apple said.

The order comes a day before Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone model.

($1 = 5.1548 reais)

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Reporting by Peter Frontini; Editing by Steven Grattan, Louise Heavens

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Brazilian government isn’t happy about Apple’s decision to stop including chargers starting with the launch of the iPhone 12 and has responded by suspending local sales of iPhones that don’t come packaged with chargers. In addition to halting some iPhone sales, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security also ordered Apple to pay a fine of R$12,275,500 (about $2.3 million USD) and canceled the iPhone 12’s registration with Anatel, Brazil’s telecommunications agency that is similar to the FCC.

Brazil’s ban comes just one day ahead of Apple’s Far Out event, where it’s expected to reveal the new iPhone 14 (which likely won’t come boxed with a charger). According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, the iPhone 12 still remains on sale in Brazil via Apple’s website.

Apple said it would appeal the decision in a statement issued to Reuters. “We have already won several court rulings in Brazil on this matter and we are confident that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their devices,” said Apple.

Brazil’s consumer protection agency, Senacon, argues that Apple’s decision to ditch the charger is a “burden” to customers and that Apple could find other ways to reduce its environmental impact — such as switching to USB-C. It adds that the lack of a charging brick makes the device “incomplete” and forces customers to make an additional purchase on top of the iPhone itself. The country hit Apple with a $2 million fine last year for not including chargers with its iPhone 12 devices and says the company “has taken no measure to minimize the damage and continues to sell cell phones without chargers.”

The iPhone 14 launch event is tomorrow

Apple first announced its plans to drop the charging brick and earbuds — and include only a USB-C to Lightning cable — with its iPhones in 2020, citing environmental concerns. The company said excluding the two accessories would reduce the iPhone’s environmental impact by allowing for a smaller box that offsets carbon emissions. However, some experts believe that this move benefits Apple’s finances more than the environment. The iPhone 12 was, notably, the first device to come with 5G — and Apple may have been looking for other ways to cut costs to offset the pricey new radio frequency components to enable the connectivity.

This isn’t the first time Apple has faced issues in other countries over its decision to stop bundling earbuds and charging bricks with new iPhones. A French law previously required Apple to include earbuds with all devices released in the country, but France passed a law earlier this year that no longer requires mobile companies to include earbuds with their phones. The European Union, as a whole, is going after Apple’s use of a proprietary charger and is implementing a new law that will require phone makers to use USB-C ports by 2024. Brazil is also mulling a similar change that would make USB-C chargers mandatory.

Update September 7th, 2:13AM ET: Added statement from Apple about appeal.

Brazil said on Tuesday it is banning the sales of iPhones that don’t ship with a charging brick. This decision comes two years after Apple stopped including charging bricks and earphones in the iPhone retail boxes to make them smaller and to reduce the carbon footprint.

An order published by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security also noted that the company is being fined $2.34 million (BR$ 12.275 million). The order said that the environmental reasons provided were not enough and it shifted the burden on the consumer to obtain a charger. It opined that the company could take other steps, like switching to USB-C from the lightning port for charging the iPhone.

Earlier this year, the country’s telecom regulator said it is considering making USB-C the default port for all smartphones.

This is not the first time the company has received a notice of fines from a Brazilian agency. Over the last few years, different regional watchdogs have issued monetary fines to Apple.

In response, the company told Reuters it’s working with local consumer protection agency SENACON to conciliate their concerns.

“We have already won several court rulings in Brazil on this matter and we are confident that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their device,” an Apple spokesperson told the publication.

The tech giant told Bloomberg that by removing chargers from the retail box the company has been able to cut carbon emissions equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the road.

The whole saga has unfolded just hours before Apple is set to launch its new iPhone 14 at its “Far Out” event in Cupertino.

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