Why 2020 iPhone Will Likely Ship Without EarPods & USB Charger
There are very strong implications that Apple's rumored iPhone 12 won't ship with a charger or a pair of EarPod earbuds. This is, admittedly, a rumor about a rumor, but the validity and volume of sources make this information hard to ignore.
Just about every iPhone ships with the latest version of those iconic, white Apple EarPods (the ones that used to dominate the old iPod "silhouette" ads) and a charger. Once the company made the jump to shipping phones without a headphone jack, the EarPods became even more important because they gave most people their first Lightning cable-equipped headphone device, which somewhat lessened the blow.
Now that an iPhone 12 announcement within the next two months seems imminent, we're at the stage where rumors become more accurate than ever. To that end, famous Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is reported by MacRumors as having detailed research notes explaining the iPhone 12 won't ship with a charger or headphones of any kind. The box would only contain the smartphone itself and the Lightning to USB-C cable that would have traditionally connected to the power adapter. Apple, having still not even confirmed the existence of a 2020 flagship iPhone, has obviously not commented on this news.
It's incredibly easy to be cynical about this information. The scenario writes itself: Apple is planning to release a high-end smartphone during a global pandemic. It's a device that potentially sets up its next generation of phones, incorporating 5G, perhaps a LiDar scanner, and whatever else would be needed to compete with companies that have already released flagships this year. Since it can't cut costs on the device if the company wants to remain competitive, and raising the price even further above the roughly $1,000 point would be harder to justify given current worldwide economic struggles, the next choice is to remove things from the package itself. This also sets the stage for Apple to sell the charger and EarPods separately, and in-fact, Kuo's information includes the detail that there will be a separate 20 W charger for sale when the phone launches.
That narrative certainly has some viability but there are much better reasons Apple may take this route. Regardless of the company's potential greed here, shipping fewer chargers is simply better for the planet. Per a story from The Verge, there's an estimated 300,000 tons of e-waste yearly, just from in-box chargers for smart devices. It goes on to mention that a million tons of chargers are made every year. If the astronomical environmental impact isn't a good enough reason for companies to consider not shipping new power supplies every year, it becomes an even better argument when you think about how many of these devices most people already own. The overwhelming odds are the iPhone 12 won't be most people's first smartphone. That means hundreds of millions (perhaps billions) of people probably already have compatible chargers. At a certain point, we consumers will be tired of trying to decide what to do with all of these chunks of plastic.
If Apple is indeed going to stop including the external power supply with the iPhone 12, it'll help set a new standard. If that company can manage it (which it can – there's no way a significant number of people will turn down buying this phone because of that one decision), it'll catch on, just like removing the headphone jack did. It's also worth noting that this isn't a new idea. Electronics that use common chargers are sold without power supplies fairly often in other markets, and, even in the US, Nintendo sold the 3DS XL without one, citing cost savings and the fact that it expected most of the device's purchasers to be people who already owned another version of the 3DS, and thus, a charger. That clearly didn't make people fall out of love with Nintendo, so Apple will surely be fine.