Since launching the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple has stopped selling iPhones with a charger and EarPods in the box. With this policy, Apple is estimated to be able to save up to 5 billion Pounds Sterling.
When announcing the policy two years ago, Apple said it was doing it to reduce waste. At that time, Apple's Head of Environment, Lisa Jackson, said that consumers already had a lot of chargers in their homes, so they didn't need a charger anymore.
Apple says by eliminating chargers and EarPods, iPhone packaging boxes could be smaller and they could fit 70% more iPhones in shipping pallets. iPhone shipping costs can be reduced by up to 40%.
But there are also some parties who suspect that Apple's policy is done to increase their own coffers. Even though it's sold without a charger and EarPods, iPhones don't get any cheaper and consumers even have to shell out money if they want to buy a newer, faster 20W charger.
Experts believe that by selling iPhones without chargers and EarPods, Apple could save around £27 per iPhone. Although the charger and EarPods are priced at £19 each, analysts believe they are much cheaper to manufacture.
Since announcing the controversial policy, Apple is predicted to have sold 190 million iPhone units worldwide.
The amount saved by Apple thanks to this policy is estimated at 5 billion Pounds Sterling. Not to mention the sales of accessories which are estimated to contribute £225 million for Apple.
"Apple is the mobile market leader in helping the environment, by eliminating chargers and headphones as one of the many things it does," said Ben Wood, CCS Insight Chief Analyst, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
"But of course there are cost savings for Apple when they eliminate chargers and headphones when selling iPhones."
