Brazil apparently considers the deletion of the supplied iPhone power adapter to be an unreasonable disadvantage for customers: the country’s Ministry of Justice issued a sales freeze on Tuesday for iPhones that are delivered without a power adapter, as the Reuters news agency reports, citing a statement from the authority. The sales stop not only affects the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, but all models that do not have an included USB power supply. The matter comes at a particularly inconvenient time for Apple, with the launch of the iPhone 14 expected on Wednesday.
Million fine for Apple
The authority also imposed a fine of almost 2.4 million euros on Apple for the practice, writes Reuters. The devices are missing an essential component, and customers are aware of this. The Brazilian Ministry of Justice apparently rejected the environmental benefit cited by Apple, including the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, for which there is no evidence.
Since the launch of the iPhone 12 two years ago, a USB power adapter is no longer included. Even with older model series, which the manufacturer continues to sell as new, the accessories disappeared from the pack. At the time, Apple emphasized that this not only reduced emissions, but also the use of valuable materials. A USB-C to Lightning charging cable is also included.
Brazilian consumer protection authorities mobilized against the move early on, describing the deletion of the iPhone power supply as a sham and a hidden price increase. Customers were also not sufficiently informed about this and therefore no longer automatically had a fast and safe power supply.
Apple could supply a USB power adapter separately
Apple has not yet commented on the matter. Depending on the legal requirements, the manufacturer is quite flexible. In France, Apple has long delivered iPhones with headphones, which have also been removed from the scope of delivery in other countries. These came in extra packaging because there is no longer room for them in the iPhone pack, which has been much smaller since then.
