Live data from Hacker News

iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

macrumors.com

41–50 of 81 posts

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#41
post #39

Makes sense! Many consumers likely already have a USB-C charger, so splitting it up gives people flexibility. I will be interested to see how they communicate this to prevent first time iPhone users being left without a charging cable/power brick.

I would have agreed if you had said Micro-USB. I own tens of those with no USB-C charger in sight.

Hopefully you don't have micro-USB chargers, but USB chargers and micro-usb cables.

I don't use Apple products, but reducing waste like this is great. Most people should have buckets of chargers by now, and even if they lack the cable, it's better to buy when needed.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#42

I suppose that if you’re upgrading to iPhone and already have one it is a waste to give you yet another charger. I wonder how much energy is used creating these cables that often go straight in a drawer because the previous cable is already conveniently plugged into the wall.

I personally find uses for these extra chargers, I would never give one away; and USB-C chargers are especially rare in my house.

Allow me to personally offer to take any off the hands of anyone who feels they have too many.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#43
post #28

Makes sense! Many consumers likely already have a USB-C charger, so splitting it up gives people flexibility. I will be interested to see how they communicate this to prevent first time iPhone users being left without a charging cable/power brick.

>Makes sense! Many consumers likely already have a USB-C charger I am willing to bet money the overwhelming majority consumer dont have USB- C chargers, only USB-A.

But maybe Apple consumers will? I have a number of USB-C cables. Anyway, I agree that reducing waste is good, but this move isn’t about waste. If Apple cared about waste, they’d come up with some way of keeping old devices out of landfills.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#44
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have agreed if you had said Micro-USB. I own tens of those with no USB-C charger in sight.

Hopefully you don't have micro-USB chargers , but USB chargers and micro-usb cables. I don't use Apple products, but reducing waste like this is great. Most people should have buckets of chargers by now, and even if they lack the cable, it's better to buy when needed.

[With regards to waste;] 3rd party chargers have been ridiculously unreliable with the lightning connector. No idea what is so hard to get right, but I've never had a ~$10 cable last more than a year, sometimes just a couple months or a week.

I'm not particularly rough with them, just plug them in a couple times a day at my desk or bed.

Sometimes my girlfriend's iPhone uses my charger as well, which can seem to expedite their failure. We have one which chargers hers fine, but only mine when plugged in a specific side up.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#45
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I note how you didn’t ask about micro-USB, because you know it to be inferior. Well, first of all, lighting predates usb-c by a few years, so it’s an advantage that we thankfully haven’t had to endure micro-USB in that time. Then, lightning is a male connector which makes it more robust, compared to the female connector in USB-C. I’ve had multiple USB-C cables break when inserted a bit too aggressively, which has not…

Well... I have an iPhone7 with an unreliable worn-out Lightning port sitting next to me, so I can kind of see the value in having the cable wear out rather than the socket in the phone...

Try cleaning it. I’ve had dust accumulate in a lightning port making it unreliable. I thought the port had failed for the longest time but it was just dust.

And I don’t think lightning cables wearing out has anything to do with the standard and everything to do with Apples poor lightning cables.

I also can’t see how people think USBC is more robust. There is a tiny little wafer in the port... I get nervous just looking at it. At least with a lightning port it’s large enough to get something in there and clean it out. USBC just looks so delicate.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#46
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Makes sense! Many consumers likely already have a USB-C charger I am willing to bet money the overwhelming majority consumer dont have USB- C chargers, only USB-A.

But maybe Apple consumers will? I have a number of USB-C cables. Anyway, I agree that reducing waste is good, but this move isn’t about waste. If Apple cared about waste, they’d come up with some way of keeping old devices out of landfills.

They have. Trade in programs, recycling drop offs at their store, refurbishment programs, robots that take the phones apart for reuse (https://www.cnet.com/news/how-apples-daisy-iphone-recycling-...). Imperfect, but approached from many sides.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#47

Makes sense! Many consumers likely already have a USB-C charger, so splitting it up gives people flexibility. I will be interested to see how they communicate this to prevent first time iPhone users being left without a charging cable/power brick.

And many consumers already have headphones, cases, old screens lying around, why not charge full price for an empty box and allow you build your own iPhone from parts ordered separately. Fans will be more than thrilled.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#48
post #8

I suppose that if you’re upgrading to iPhone and already have one it is a waste to give you yet another charger. I wonder how much energy is used creating these cables that often go straight in a drawer because the previous cable is already conveniently plugged into the wall.

Yeah in theory it's a defensible move, because we're moving towards standardized charging ports. However, Apple is the only one that's being weird about it, introducing the Lightning connector instead of e.g. switching to micro-USB. USB-C was still a while out when Lightning was introduced. But honestly they have no excuse to not adopt Micro-USB or USB-C.

> But honestly they have no excuse to not adopt Micro-USB or USB-C.

The only reason for usb-c on my phone is the convenience factor. Otherwise I find lightening superior in every other way. And micro-usb, you have to be kidding.

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#49

These petty BOM reduction exercises from Tim Cook's Apple to claw back single dollars on products that are $1000 are starting to get egregious.

They also reduce e-waste. Few people need yet another lightning / micro-usb / usb-c cable and charger.

E-waste could be reduced by offering charger for free, if customer wanted. The thing I always liked about iPhone was to open up the box and you have everything you need to use the device,

Re: iPhone 12 Models Won't Include Charger in Box, Power Adapter Sold Separately

#50
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah in theory it's a defensible move, because we're moving towards standardized charging ports. However, Apple is the only one that's being weird about it, introducing the Lightning connector instead of e.g. switching to micro-USB. USB-C was still a while out when Lightning was introduced. But honestly they have no excuse to not adopt Micro-USB or USB-C.

As an iPhone owner, I don’t want USB-C. Not yet, anyway. The reason is that I don’t know how to be confident that a particular cable and power source will charge my phone well and won’t fry it. I expect Apple knows its customers would like to have confidence about this and that’s why they are holding off. With Lightning, I have been happy enough to plug into various non-Apple-brand chargers with USB-A sockets. Maybe…

Millions of non-Apple phone users have been doing fine for the past few years. Also by your logic, Apple would care about the potential damage to the iPhones and iPads but not about the iPad Pro and the entire laptop lineup?
Post reply on HN