Brazil Prohibits The Sale Of iPhones Without USB Power Adapters

Brazil has announced a ban on the sale of iPhones that do not include a power adapter. Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced on Tuesday that it had fined Apple 12.275 million reais (£2.04 million). Senacon, a Brazilian consumer organisation, claimed that Apple's decision not to include power adapters with new iPhones discriminates against customers by selling an "incomplete product."

Apple plans to file an appeal against the ban. In a statement to Reuters, the company said it would work with Brazilian authorities to "resolve their concerns," but added that it had previously won several court rulings in Brazil on the matter. "We are confident that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their devices," Apple stated.

The fine and ban on iPhone sales without USB power adapters were announced just one day before Apple unveiled its new iPhone 14, 14 Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra.

So Paulo's consumer protection agency fined Apple £2 million last year, claiming that the sale of the iPhone 12 and subsequent models violated consumer law because they did not come with chargers. With the release of the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple will no longer include power adapters and headphones in iPhone boxes.

It claimed that the move, which came after Apple first removed power adapters from new Apple Watch boxes, would help reduce Apple's carbon footprint by shrinking packaging.

"Sometimes it's not what we make, but what we don't make that counts," Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, said at the company's 2020 September keynote. She went on to say that there were already more than two billion official Apple power adapters in use around the world.

Senacon, which filed a complaint against the move last year, said Apple's arguments for removing USB power adapters from iPhone boxes were "insufficient." It stated that there was no evidence that removing chargers improved the environment.