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A court in Brazil has fined Apple nearly $19 million for not selling iPhones with a charging socket unit, saying it must provide chargers for its iPhones in the country.
Apple said it would appeal the decision.
According to Barron’s, the judge called not including chargers with phone purchases an “abuse” that “requires consumers to buy a second product to make the first one work.”
The tech giant stopped putting power adapters with its iPhones in 2020 with the iPhone 12, citing environmental concerns.
The company now only provides a charging cable with new iPhones.
Not connecting chargers to iPhones saves 861,000 tons of copper, zinc and tin, according to Apple.
However, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice has told Apple that it can help the environment by enabling USB-C support in its devices.
“It is evident that the defendant, as part of the justification of the “green initiative”, imposes on the consumer the mandatory purchase of charger adapters that were previously supplied with the product,” the court’s judgment reads.
Tech giant Apple could bring a USB-C port to AirPods and Mac accessories by 2024.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company could introduce USB-C to its latest AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods by 2024, while Mac accessories like the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad may soon be converted to USB-C. like next year.
“It’s a safe bet that this accessory will move to USB-C in its next incarnation,” Gurman said in a recent report.
With the European Union mandating USB-C charging for new smartphones, tablets and headphones introduced in the territory at the end of 2024, there is talk of a move away from Lightning ports.
