4 ms·

These petty BOM reduction exercises from Tim Cook's Apple to claw back single dollars on products that are $1000 are starting to get egregious.

leadingthenet 6y ago
They also reduce e-waste. Few people need yet another lightning / micro-usb / usb-c cable and charger.
- panpanna 6y ago
  > They also reduce e-waste. They do. But please note that Apple does this after years of pressure from EU and are one of the last companies to do so. So please don't make them into some kind of champions for the environment.
  - leadingthenet 6y ago
    > But please note that Apple does this after years of pressure from EU and are one of the last companies to do so. I have no idea what you’re talking about. When exactly did the EU ask Apple not to include the charger in the box? I’m very doubtful of this claim.
    - panpanna 6y ago
      If you Google "EU charger" this The Verge article will be the top result: "Since 2009, the European Commission has been trying to convince tech companies to adopt a single charging method for our gadgets, primarily smartphones, in a quest to reduce the waste that comes when every new gadget you buy includes yet another AC adapter in the box. Now, Apple’s Lightning connector may be at risk." https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-european-commission-common-charger-lightning-cable-port https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-europea...
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
      - nix23 6y ago
        Yes that means that you can charge your Android an Iphone with the SAME charger, NOT that you don't include one with your phone. And yet Apple could avoid implementing micro/usb-c (or the standard EU-Smart-device charger hm-hmm) etc since 11 Years and nothing happened...thanks EU for your strong fist and small mouth.
        panpanna 6y ago
        Aren't you misunderstanding the directive? The EU explicitly stated the goal was to reduce e-waste, and the only way to do that is by not shipping a new charger with every phone. Apple avoided all this by providing USB-lightning converters. This follows the letter of law but produces even more waste. Eventually EU decided they had enough and threatened to fine Apple.
        nix23 6y ago
        >reduce e-waste Yes so you dont have two incompatible chargers when apple decides to change the plug again...that's when it started, that was 2009.
- sytelus 6y ago
  E-waste could be reduced by offering charger for free, if customer wanted. The thing I always liked about iPhone was to open up the box and you have everything you need to use the device,
  - leadingthenet 6y ago
    It would be nice if they offered a “free” charger with the purchase of a new device, if requested. Am I being cynical if I believe that essentially everybody would take it, even if they didn’t really have a need for one?
- whywhywhywhy 6y ago
  Please don't try and pretend the company that invented AirPods cares a single bit about e-waste. Just how many pairs of AirPods is the average Apple fan going to go through in their lives. These things are going to be rotting away in landfills and washing up on beaches for multiple generations after their wearers are dead.
SllX 6y ago
At this point it’s a rumor and we don’t know the prices for the next batch of phones yet. Hopefully we see some reduced prices regardless, but it is hard to get worked up over rumors like this when I’m not lacking in charging equipment or headphones. The inclusions made sense, until they didn’t, now it’s just extra crap to fill a spares drawer and pass off to others.
- cosmiccatnap 6y ago
  Well, also I guess it's good because apple has failed to make a reliable or reasonably priced charger for all of the second millennia so far...
bubblethink 6y ago
"50 cents is a lot of money! You save 50 cents here, and then maybe you go somewhere else and save another 50 cents. Then you have 1 dollar. Then you take your dollar. You go to the dollar store, and you buy something else."

leadingthenet 6y ago

They also reduce e-waste. Few people need yet another lightning / micro-usb / usb-c cable and charger.

panpanna 6y ago
> They also reduce e-waste. They do. But please note that Apple does this after years of pressure from EU and are one of the last companies to do so. So please don't make them into some kind of champions for the environment.
- leadingthenet 6y ago
  > But please note that Apple does this after years of pressure from EU and are one of the last companies to do so. I have no idea what you’re talking about. When exactly did the EU ask Apple not to include the charger in the box? I’m very doubtful of this claim.
  - panpanna 6y ago
    If you Google "EU charger" this The Verge article will be the top result: "Since 2009, the European Commission has been trying to convince tech companies to adopt a single charging method for our gadgets, primarily smartphones, in a quest to reduce the waste that comes when every new gadget you buy includes yet another AC adapter in the box. Now, Apple’s Lightning connector may be at risk." https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-european-commission-common-charger-lightning-cable-port https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-europea...
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - nix23 6y ago
      Yes that means that you can charge your Android an Iphone with the SAME charger, NOT that you don't include one with your phone. And yet Apple could avoid implementing micro/usb-c (or the standard EU-Smart-device charger hm-hmm) etc since 11 Years and nothing happened...thanks EU for your strong fist and small mouth.
      - panpanna 6y ago
        Aren't you misunderstanding the directive? The EU explicitly stated the goal was to reduce e-waste, and the only way to do that is by not shipping a new charger with every phone. Apple avoided all this by providing USB-lightning converters. This follows the letter of law but produces even more waste. Eventually EU decided they had enough and threatened to fine Apple.
        nix23 6y ago
        >reduce e-waste Yes so you dont have two incompatible chargers when apple decides to change the plug again...that's when it started, that was 2009.
sytelus 6y ago
E-waste could be reduced by offering charger for free, if customer wanted. The thing I always liked about iPhone was to open up the box and you have everything you need to use the device,
- leadingthenet 6y ago
  It would be nice if they offered a “free” charger with the purchase of a new device, if requested. Am I being cynical if I believe that essentially everybody would take it, even if they didn’t really have a need for one?
whywhywhywhy 6y ago
Please don't try and pretend the company that invented AirPods cares a single bit about e-waste. Just how many pairs of AirPods is the average Apple fan going to go through in their lives. These things are going to be rotting away in landfills and washing up on beaches for multiple generations after their wearers are dead.

SllX 6y ago

At this point it’s a rumor and we don’t know the prices for the next batch of phones yet. Hopefully we see some reduced prices regardless, but it is hard to get worked up over rumors like this when I’m not lacking in charging equipment or headphones. The inclusions made sense, until they didn’t, now it’s just extra crap to fill a spares drawer and pass off to others.

cosmiccatnap 6y ago
Well, also I guess it's good because apple has failed to make a reliable or reasonably priced charger for all of the second millennia so far...

bubblethink 6y ago

"50 cents is a lot of money! You save 50 cents here, and then maybe you go somewhere else and save another 50 cents. Then you have 1 dollar. Then you take your dollar. You go to the dollar store, and you buy something else."