According to reports, a Brazilian judge fined Apple $19 million for not putting chargers in the new iPhones sold in the nation. According to a Reuters story last week Thursday, the court mandated that every iPhone sold in Brazil come packed with a charger.
Apple was originally fined $12.275 million reais ($2.38 million) by the Brazilian Justice Ministry in September and as reported at the time by Reuters, it appealed a Brazilian judgment prohibiting it from selling iPhones without a charger. According to reports, Apple stated that the chargers were not included to cut carbon emissions.
In an effort to cut waste and transition to a carbon-neutral supply chain, Apple ceased including earphones and a power adaptor with the release of the iPhone 12 in 2020, except for France, where it is required to follow radiation limits.
The Brazilian government and Apple may, nonetheless, engage in more legal disputes. According to a suggestion made by Anatel, the nation’s telecom regulatory authority, USB-C should be accepted as a standard by every smartphone marketed in Brazil.
Coincidentally, this follows a decision made by the European Union recently that will also require Apple to start using USB-C in iPhones in 2024. The Lightning connector may be nearing the end of its useful life, according to a similar notion that the US Senate is also looking into.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro have been pre-orderable in Brazil for the last two weeks, and the official launch is set for last week Friday. At least initially, the phones won’t come with a charger.
