Along with the iPhone 12 announcement, Apple announced that it would no longer put chargers in smartphone boxes to protect the environment. The company also stressed that, in their opinion, almost all consumers at home probably already have to charge. However, regulators disagree with Apple’s position. The Brazilian São Paulo Consumer Protection Authority (Procon-SP) fined the company for selling smartphones without chargers.
The amount of the fine was $ 10.5 million (about $ 1.9 million). The regulator argued its decision by the fact that when a consumer purchases an Apple smartphone, he “expects that not only the iPhone but also the charger will have a higher performance.”
Also, in the warranty documentation, Apple refuses to repair the smartphone in the case of using non-original chargers and does not indicate that it is safe to use its own chargers of the previous generation.
The Brazilian regulator found Apple’s environmental explanation unconvincing. Besides, Procon-SP accused the company of misleading consumers about the product’s characteristics with iPhone ads. It’s about moisture protection.