Brazilian officials argue that selling iPhones without chargers is a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers” because the chargers are necessary, so a phone that ships without them is technically an incomplete product.
What country has ordered Apple to stop selling iPhones without chargers?
Answer: Brazil.
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Apple’s two latest iterations of its popular iPhone, the iPhone 12 and 13, no longer come with chargers in the box. And the Brazilian government is not happy about it. The country’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security on Tuesday ordered Apple to cease selling iPhones without chargers and fined the company 12.275 million reais (about $2.38 million).
Brazilian officials argue that selling iPhones without chargers is a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers” because the chargers are necessary, so a phone that ships without them is technically an incomplete product.
Apple and other smartphone manufacturers say they’ve been shipping their newer devices without chargers in recent years in an effort to reduce e-waste. The European Parliament estimated earlier this year that chargers account for 11,000 metric tons of e-waste annually just in Europe.
Brazilian officials argue that selling iPhones without chargers is a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers” because the chargers are necessary, so a phone that ships without them is technically an incomplete product.
