Apple has much less consumer friendly return policies in many non-US markets. Take Hong Kong for example: "All products purchased at Apple Store in Hong Kong cannot be returned or exchanged. Exceptions for exchange will be allowed for defective products only." https://www.apple.com/hk/shop/help/exchange_return

I'd have a hard time arguing that the AirPods are defective because the non-bundled mat on the box didn't ship.

This is...exactly the same as nearly every other retailer in HK. Off the top of my head - of places I’ve bought from recently - only Ikea allows random returns in HK. Everyone else is the same as Apple.

Unlimited returns for any reason at every store is quite an American thing.

I actually think it's a good policy that while emotionally one may be hesitant to offer, but in reality it generates more profit for the retailer so long as they're not doing anything shady or anti-consumer in the first place.

Or unless you’re in a business that has disproportionate number of asshole customers. Sony probably couldn’t afford to offer unconditional returns in the PlayStation store...

You can even return marijuana to a pot shop. It's hilarious.

I'm fairly certain the exception is Hong Kong. Japan, Taiwan, all allow returns under the standard policy.

Hong Kong probably does not allow it for other reasons. Maybe the policy gets exceptionally abused there.

It’s exactly that: https://9to5mac.com/2017/08/15/apple-hong-kong-scalpers/

>Additionally your edit doesn’t hold because apple sells iPhones without an official wireless charger either.

AirPower was supposed to be that official wireless charger. So is your argument that my point doesn't matter because cancelling AirPower is actually worse than I initially mentioned? Either way, the new AirPods are a little different than iPhones. The primary difference between AirPods 1 and AirPods 2 was the wireless charging. The wireless charging was never the top-line feature of any new iPhones.

>If you’re going to call out apple for making the charging standard based on USB power delivery

That is not why I am calling Apple out. I am calling them out because they are refusing to offer a first party solution for a product's primary feature and "it is just an open standard" is not a valid excuse for that fact.

> Apple has a 1-week (or is it 2 weeks?) unconditional return policy. It actually disservices them to announce it after since they may now get a bunch of open box returns.

Yeah, but how many people are actually going to go through the hassle of returning them?