Apple has slashed the price of its EarPods wired earbuds and power adapters by $10, after the company confirmed that iPhones would no longer ship with these accessories in the box.
Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to have net zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from material collection, component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will be 100 percent carbon neutral. iPhone 12 models were designed with the environment in mind. For the first time, iPhone 12 models will utilize 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, including the new camera, Taptic Engine, and MagSafe, as well as Apple’s MagSafe accessories. Apple is also removing the power adapter and EarPods from iPhone packaging, further reducing carbon emissions and avoiding the mining and use of precious materials, which enables smaller and lighter packaging, and allows for 70 percent more boxes to be shipped on a pallet.
Its EarPod headphones — a wired alternative to Apple’s Bluetooth AirPods — are now $19 on the Apple Store, a third less than the previous price.
Its 20W power adapter, which lets you charge your phone at a plug socket, is also $19 — this is a new product, and down from $29 for the old adapter, which Apple has now discontinued.
Older iPhone models still on sale on the Apple Store, including the iPhone 11, XR, and SE, will also no longer ship with these accessories, the company said.
At its iPhone 12 announcement on Tuesday, the company said that shipping phones without these accessories would let it use smaller boxes, helping it meet its environmental goals.
MacDailyNews Take: These changes will allow Apple to cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to removing nearly 450,000 cars from the road per year.
I think I would mind if the box didn’t include an iPhone, that would be the proverbial “bridge too far.” Indeed, buying an iPhone and not having it included in the box would rub me the wrong way. But I have no problem with them leaving out the headphones and charger.