Warning: You've been down-voted into submission. How dare you criticize Apple, one of the biggest and richest companies in the world?

You must take all of their PR and advertising at 100% face value when you are on this site.

Yeah, if they really cared about environment, they would make their devices repairable/upgradable. At least, Macbook could do with non soldered RAM and a SSD you could change.

Although a good move, this just increases their margin. They could have reduced the price and added earphones/charger at a nominal price of say $20 as a starter kit with new phones.

Or they really did it because most iPhone users already have multiple of them sitting in a stack somewhere in their house and it makes sense to do so?

If it was only about environmental reasons, wouldn't they just make it optional?

As in, they could include a checkbox (that is unchecked by default) to get these items free in the checkout process. They already ask a million customization questions, why not make this one?

I'd also think that for the percentage of people who need the charger/earbuds, having to make a second purchase on amazon will overall increase the carbon footprint for that person, since two packages shipped are way more inefficient than one. This undermines their argument and seems like it makes them depend on externalities to make their ecological calculations work out.

Optional makes the supply chain worse by having to make two types of box, two production lines. Or by adding them separately you end up with more packaging material and more transport expense. This is a good move for the environment, even it doesn’t feel like it given the vast resources it must take to make the phone anyway.

I've been involved in the production of physical goods. You are right there's an increase in cost, although then the question becomes by how much.

There's the option to make the same packaging but one having an empty space where another has that space filled with these items.

Even if they had to make two separate boxes, I'd like to think that given Apple's volume, the additional costs in managing SKUs and packaging production wouldn't have too big of a hit on overall production costs. Especially when offsetting the decrease in cost of goods provided. I however don't know their numbers enough to knowledgeably argue this point. Though overall my point I think still stands regardless of the exact dollar amounts being discussed, I can't see those amounts being too serious an inpact on overall costs.

> If it was only about environmental reasons, wouldn't they just make it optional?

If the cost were the same, I'd check the box regardless of whether or not I actually needed the cable.

If the cost were not the same, we'd be in the same situation where we currently are, where you can, in addition to your phone, buy a wall charger.

they can just buy them at the same time they buy the phone if they want them

I mean it helps them lose new first time customers and lose previous customers as well (once you're off the wagon, you're off). I'm all for this.

"That's a weird way to greenwash profit reasons."

"I mean it helps them lose new first time customers and lose previous customers as well (once you're off the wagon, you're off). I'm all for this."

Pick a narrative and stick to it.

My narrative is that Apple is a market company that'll say anything to make a ridicious profit on their often times subpar technology.

Yeah right, I'm sure the amount of individuals in this category are so negligible to the overall numbers that it might as well be a rounding error. You want to not buy some $1000 phone due to not including $4 in accessories? You weren't the group they were selling to in the first place. We have so many cords around our work stations, sofas, and desks that the industry created and sustained an entirely successful third party market for chargers and cables. Almost all of my wireless chargers and usb hubs for all devices are some form of Amazon reseller or Anker.

You're basically talking about customers who have not bought a single USB device before. Is this a large segment?

So the article claims that device uses a proprietary connector (lightning jack) That is not a common USB cable. (Most USB cables were usb micro and are now becoming USB C)

Also, it depends on implementation as well. Some devices are compatible and need the quick chargers.

Or those who bought a phone but traded it in towards the cost of a new one. And the charger went with it, because otherwise you get a lower price...