Apple will appeal against €19 million fine

Brazil’s Consumers’ Association has filed a lawsuit against Apple. Why? Apple delivers the iPhone 12 without a charger and without earbuds. The American brand confirms that it will indeed supply the iPhone 12 without a charger and earbuds.

The court in Brazil has fined Apple a total of 19 million euros. Apple lost the lawsuit, but says it will appeal the ruling.

Statement Apple

Apple announces that iPhones are sold without a charger to reduce CO2 emissions. It is indicated that consumers already have a large number of chargers, cables and earplugs.

The judge does not agree with this statement from Apple. For example, there is no proof that including a charger with the purchase of a smartphone is better for the environment.

For the same situation, Apple was previously fined with an amount of 2.4 million euros. Not only the fine, but also the stopping of sales of the iPhone 12 series and newer iPhone models belonged to the ruling of this judge.

What are competitors doing?

Since Apple announced in 2020 that it would not include a charger and earbuds as standard in the packaging of the iPhone, other smartphone manufacturers, such as Samsung and Xiaomi, followed. Apple’s major competitor, Samsung, has also recently included a charger with the foldable smartphones. This means that these buildable smartphones again comply with the upcoming Brazilian regulations.

Yet, Xiaomi, for example – based in Beijing – has it ‘better for each other’. As a consumer, you have the option to choose a Xiaomi phone with a charger and without a charger.

It does not matter which option you go for: the price remains the same. Do you still receive a package without a charger, while you do want a charger? Then you can choose to have a charger serviced free of charge. The question is, of course, to what extent this solution from the Chinese Xiaomi is better for the environment.