According to the Brazilian authorities, Apple Inc. is providing customers
with a defective product by continuing to sell iPhones in the nation without
a battery charger.
Prior to the introduction of the iPhone 12, Apple said in October 2020 that
it will cease shipping adapters and headphones with all of its smartphones
globally as part of a strategy to benefit the environment by lowering waste
and carbon emissions.
The product is now not as claimed, however the Brazilian Justice Ministry
disputes this. The sale of the iPhone 12 and subsequent devices must cease,
and Apple was fined $2.38 million.
The decision, which was published in the nation's official newspaper, the
Official Journal of the Union, also gave the business instructions to stop
selling any Apple smartphone, "regardless of model or generation,
unaccompanied by the battery charger."
The ministry said that the absence of a vital component in the iPhone
constituted a "deliberate practice of discrimination against
consumers."
A request for comment from Apple was not immediately complied with.
The Brazilian Justice Ministry fined Apple $2.3 million and ordered the
corporation to stop selling any iPhone 12 and later models that don't come
with a battery charger. Additionally, Apple was told to stop selling any
smartphones that were "regardless of model or age, without the battery
charger."
Since October 2020, when Apple announced it would stop including adapters
and headphones as part of its plan to protect the environment by reducing
waste and carbon emissions, the company has provided the lightning cable but
not the charging adapter with iPhone 12 devices and other subsequent
models.
Environmentalists praised Apple's decision to discontinue the
accessories.
According to Teresa Domenech of the Institute for Sustainable Resources at
University College London, "this might not only assist to minimize waste but
would also eliminate upstream environmental problems associated to the
extraction of basic raw materials, manufacture, and distribution of
goods."
The manufacturer said that the phones do indeed have a lightning cord that
works with adapters that are offered by other manufacturers of mobile phone
accessories.
Brazilian officials, however, disagreed, saying there is no proof that
selling the smartphone without a charger protects the environment.
The decision is made only one day before Apple unveils its most recent
iPhone model.
On September 7, the business plans to introduce the iPhone 14, the most
recent Apple Watch, a new headphone, and other products at an event at the
Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.
The European Union declared in June that by 2014, all smartphones and
portable electronic gadgets sold in each of its 27 members states would need
to be charged through USB-C.
The decision meant that Apple would have to update the iPhone's charging
port.
A Brazilian judge ordered Apple to compensate a consumer $1,081 in April
because the firm neglected to provide a battery charger after the client
purchased an iPhone.
Currently, Android-based devices utilize USB-C connections, whereas iPhones
use Apple's proprietary Lightning power connector technology.
To decrease electronic waste, the EU wants a standard charging cord for
smartphones and other gadgets. Apple, however, claims that this would stifle
innovation and harm customers. According to the organization, 11,000 metric
tons of e-waste in Europe are believed to come from abandoned or unusable
chargers each year.
In his opinion, Apple "obliges the customer to acquire a second product of
its exclusive creation which, without the primary product, does not fulfill
the function for which it is made (and) designed." Judge Vanderlei Caires
Pinheiro of the Goiânia 6th Special Civil Court agreed.
Since the change, Apple is estimated to have sold 190 million iPhones
globally. Gains from eliminating chargers and earbuds combined with savings
on shipping may reach $6.5 billion, with an extra $293 million from
accessory sales.
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