Yahoo Finance New iPhone 12 ‘will not come with a charger or headphones’, Apple says
Watch: Apple launches new iPhone 12 with 5G
Apple has confirmed that its iPhone 12 will not come packaged with a power adapter or headphones at a launch event streamed online on Tuesday.
The move is designed to help the environment, Apple said, claiming it will remove two million metric tons of carbon emissions per year.
Apple said in a press release that it would result in “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”.
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The iPhone 12 will be packaged in a much thinner box as a result, Apple said.
The device will still come with a USB-C to Lightning charging cable, but will no longer have the wall adaptor.
Apple claimed the carbon reduction is equivalent to removing 450,000 cars from the road for a year.
The move drew a mixed response from users, with some mocking the announcement on social media.
Apple said “we’re not including headphones or a charger with the iPhone 12, but the good news is that the box will be smaller”
I’m just... pic.twitter.com/EfuD9u6tDy— youngboy nearly broke again (@404SAGE) October 13, 2020
People who will buy iPhone 12 and will not find the charger and the headphones 😂😂😂😂😂#iPhone12 #AppleKeynote pic.twitter.com/KTc5XIgckg
— Essayafi Aymen (@EssayafiA) October 13, 2020
The announcement was made at an event where Apple launched multiple devices, including a “Mini” version with a 5.4-inch screen.
The iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch display, and has flat sides with a flush display, similar to the company’s iPhone 5 and a departure from rounded edges in recent years.
The devices are the first Apple iPhones with 5G capability.
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Apple said it had tested 5G on more than 800 carriers in 30 regions globally.
The new phone will have a “ceramic shield” glass cover to resist cracks when dropped.
Apple also announced a HomePod Mini smart speaker that will come in white and grey, and ship this year.
The new HomePod offers features such as allowing use by multiple users in a home and sending information to car-based systems.
For example, a user can tee up driving directions to a store after asking the HomePod what time it closes.
Many of the features serve as a catch-up to similar offerings from Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
The annual launch event is nearly one month later than normal and comes as the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted Apple’s well-oiled machine for designing and churning out its biggest-selling product.
The delay comes in the wake of coronavirus-related shutdowns in Apple factories, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Apple’s biggest iPhone plant was hit by restrictions placed on Chinese workers due to the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year.
Apple supplier Foxconn’s factory at Zhengzhou in Henan province, with 200,000 workers, barred employees from outside the local area.
Apple’s discounts on the iPhone 11 in China and the release of a new low-price SE model have put the company in a better position than rivals to weather a coronavirus-related plunge in global smartphone demand.
Watch: The evolution of the iPhone
