If you buy a new iPhone 12 from this month, don't be alarmed if you don't find the earbuds and charger in the box. Apple has decided that those who need them should buy them separately because it is better for the environment. As a gesture, the Earpods with Lightning port have been made cheaper and you get a better charger for the same price as before.
For several years now, some of Apple's press conferences have been devoted to a promotional talk about the company's environmental initiatives. In addition to more recycled material in the new iPhones and renewable energy in the production chain, there was a striking announcement during Tuesday evening's press conference that the earphones and charger are not included with the iPhone 12.
From the roof of Apple Park, Lisa Jackson, vice president responsible for the environment, said that there are 700 million Earpods with Lightning and 2 billion Apple chargers in drawers worldwide. Moreover, the fact that many people have switched to wireless headphones is a good reason for Apple to no longer supply wired earphones.
As a result, the packaging of the iPhone 12 is suddenly a lot smaller. “We can put up to 70 percent more products on a pallet,” says Jackson. This results in less CO2 emissions. All adjustments to the production and packaging of the iPhone 12 mean that 2 million cubic tons of CO2 are emitted annually, according to Apple. "That's like keeping 450,000 cars off the road a year," says Jackson.
In addition, less rare materials should be mined and used. The use of materials such as cobalt in products from Apple and other technology companies has long been a point of criticism. Among other things, there is a lawsuit against those companies for their alleged involvement in the death of children in Congolese cobalt mines.
Fortunately, you will still find a Lightning to USB C charging cable in the box. This allows you to connect your iPhone to the USB C port that your laptop or computer may already have. The advantage of the cable that now comes with iPhones is that the speed of charging is higher.
If you want to use that higher charging speed, you can use the new Apple charger, among other things. It is available for 25 euros on the Apple site and is therefore just as expensive as the very slow charger that you got with your iPhone until now. Another gesture is the fact that the Earpods with Lightning have been reduced in price. According to MacRumors, they have gone from $ 29 to $ 19. They are for sale on Apple's Belgian site for 19 euros, so the price seems to drop worldwide.
Bron: https://www.demorgen.be/tech-wetenschap/bij-iphone-12-geen-lader-en-oortjes-meer-in-de-doos~b51ddad8/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F