Considered Incomplete Product, Brazilian Government Forbids Apple From Selling iPhone Without Charger

JAKARTA - The Brazilian government on Tuesday, September 6, ordered Apple Inc. to stop selling iPhones without a charger in the country. They claim that the company delivers incomplete products to consumers.

Brazil's Ministry of Justice also fined Apple 12.275 million reais (IDR 35.4 billion) and ordered the cancellation of sales of the iPhone 12 and later models. In addition, they are also suspending the sale of any iPhone model that is not equipped with a charger.

In the order, published in the country's official gazette, the ministry argued that the iPhone did not have a critical component in "deliberate discriminatory practices against consumers".

As reported by Reuters, authorities rejected Apple's argument that the practice was aimed at reducing carbon emissions, saying there was no evidence of environmental protection from selling smartphones without chargers.

The order comes a day before Apple Inc is expected to announce the iPhone 14 model on September 7.

Last year, a group of students in China reportedly sued Apple to the Beijing Internet Court for not including a charger accessory in the package purchased for the iPhone 12. The students said that the USB-C to Lightning charging cable that Apple provided in the package of the iPhone 12 was not compatible with other chargers. circulating in the market.

Apple itself has stopped including charger and earphone adapters in the purchase box, since releasing the iPhone 12 in 2020. Apple has deliberately removed these two accessories with the reason to reduce the impact of environmental pollution. However, owners of the iPhone 12 series and later iPhone series can still purchase the charging head and earphones separately, if desired.

It seems that reducing environmental pollution is not the only reason behind Apple's move. The reason is, according to a report from the Daily Mail, Apple is said to have saved up to 5 billion pounds sterling, or equivalent to IDR 93.6 trillion, thanks to selling iPhones without chargers and earphones.

Savings of up to trillions of rupiah can be achieved because Apple can package the iPhone in a smaller sales box. Remember, the packaging box only contains one iPhone and one Lightning to USB-C cable.