What you need to know
- Apple is heavily rumored to have ditched the iPhone 12 charger.
- New iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models likely won't come with chargers in the box.
- Now a TrendForce report adds to existing rumors with money being the driving force.
There have been plenty of rumors in recent months that claim Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro won't ship with a charger in the box. Now we've another report saying the same thing, and it says it's all down to Apple's need to reduce costs and "stabilize retail pricing".
If you're still coming to terms with the idea of buying your own charger, things are about to get worse – there won't be any EarPods in the box, either. At least, that's what TrendForce tells us.
To cut costs and stabilize retail pricing, Apple has decided to sell the upcoming iPhones without accessories such as wired earphones, power adapter, etc. This move is expected to help with sales performance.
However, TrendForce notes that the current WeChat tensions could put a dent in Apple's sales performance, particularly in China.
However, recent orders by the Trump administration barring U.S. businesses from carrying out transactions with TikTok, WeChat, and their respective parent companies ByteDance and Tencent may have an impact on Apple's sales performances in the Chinese market going forward.
Apple's decision not to ship a charger or EarPods with new iPhones would likely be explained away as a positive for the environment, with most people already having a charger and earbuds of some sort. But with Apple unlikely to pass the monetary saving on to customers, that explanation is unlikely to pass muster for many iPhone buyers this fall.
