Opinion

Apple Begins Ditching Bundled Chargers: Eco-Friendly Move or Cynical Stinginess? 2p6q63

While Apple will save money, it would be nice if the benefits were ed on to buyers 2h3o3k

Apple Begins Ditching Bundled Chargers: Eco-Friendly Move or Cynical Stinginess?

Chances are you have plenty of spare chargers, but will you find the right type when you need it? 4e36

Highlights
  • Plenty of small gadgets already come with only USB cables, not chargers
  • Apple's accessories are expensive but people might not trust other brands
  • Third-party chargers are less expensive but more powerful and versatile
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Many companies bury or gloss over parts of announcements that are likely to invite criticism, but Apple specifically highlighted its decision to stop bundling chargers with its latest Apple Watch models when they were announced on Tuesday. The news was framed as part of the company's moves towards sustainability and eco-friendly packaging, and sure, those goals will be furthered by dropping bundled chargers. But does this argument hold up, or is it just cynical stinginess by a giant corporation?

Let's just be clear right at the outset – very few companies include mains adapters with small gadgets, including wearables. These typically have small batteries and charge quickly, or can be left somewhere overnight and don't need to be used urgently. Plenty of headphones, fitness trackers, speakers, household accessories, toys, and even small appliances use Micro-USB or USB Type-C ports for charging, specifically so that buyers can use the chargers they already have.

Do we need new chargers with every new product we buy? For many of us, the answer is no. I have the boxes that my last two iPhones came in – purchased in 2019 and 2017 – and both bundled chargers are still lying inside, untouched. I simply didn't need to take them out when I already had four or five in use. I have at least one by my bedside, at my desk, and in my bag already, with another few ready to grab whenever needed. I don't need an individual charger for each device.

That said, I wouldn't be happy if I couldn't use a the new iPads announced at the same event do still ship with chargers.

Of course it's hard not to see this as a precursor to more sweeping changes – have been awful for ages and I nearly always reach for a more powerful one that will charge my phone quicker.

Apple's Chargers with multiple USB outputs are absolutely necessary in crowded pressrooms and ancient hotels without enough outlets for a laptop, 2-3 phones, wearables, cameras, and other equipment. Plus, I always like having fewer things to carry and packing.

Here's where the problem of charger interoperability comes up, though. The USB standard was of course meant to be universal – it's right there in the name – but manufacturers now routinely break the specification and push more and more power through the same ports and wires. over 100W charging already being demonstrated.

Sadly, these are all proprietary standards. Neither the USB Power Delivery spec nor Qualcomm's QuickCharge spec cover these, and you'll still get the fastest charging (plus necessary safety mechanisms) from each company's proprietary chargers, which often aren't even the same between models. Apple might be okay with standard third-party chargers, but it's also allowing itself to be left behind in the charging speed race.

There's also been some amount of worry about the perils of using low-cost third-party chargers. Stories of long insisted on the use of official or at least certified accessories. With this kind of (at least partially justified) fearmongering, many s are understandably wary of using third-party chargers.

I would argue that Apple has been actively contributing to e-waste over the years by shipping lousy chargers that aren't useful, and so ditching them is a good move overall. However, the company could help mitigate the inconvenience by cutting prices – Rs. 1,700 for the 5W version and Rs. 2,900 for the 18W version is completely ridiculous.

 

I the very first Apple product I bought, a 40GB iPod Photo. The iPod itself was barely the size of a deck of cards, but the box was roughly 15cm cubed. It contained the iPod itself, a charger, earphones with extra foam covers, a dock, a case, FireWire and USB cables, a video output cable, and stickers. Opening the box was a delight; a consciously engineered part of the whole Apple experience – but this was the last model to ship with such a generous bundle.

Apple has since then constantly moved to smaller boxes with renewable energy, are no joke. So I don't believe that ditching boxed chargers is purely a cynical money-grab, but I do think that Apple could make the transition easier and do more to smooth over the potential pain points its customers might have to deal with.


Is Android One holding back Nokia smartphones in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, the episode, or just hit the play button below.

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