iPhone 12 Lineup Does Not Ship With a Power Adapter; Apple Begins Selling 20W USB-C Adapter for $19 (macrumors.com) 83
With the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models no longer shipping with a power adapter, Apple has started selling the 20W USB-C power adapter that was first introduced with the iPad Air on a standalone basis for $19. From a report: The 20W power adapter is included in the box with the iPad Air, but those who want one for use with the new iPhone models will need to shell out $19. All of the new iPhone 12 models and older iPhone models ship only with a USB-C to Lightning cable, with customers expected to provide their own power adapters. Most people likely have several USB-C power adapters on hand from past device purchases, but this will be an inconvenience for those who have few power adapters available already.
Worst of both worlds (Score:3)
It's USB-C on one end, so you likely can't use it to connect all your previous accessories which were USB-A.
Plus it's lightning on the other end, so you can plug the cable both ways, having a different connector on each end.
Apple missed a good opportunity to kill lightning.
Re:Worst of both worlds (Score:5, Insightful)
> Apple missed a good opportunity to kill lightning.
Apple gets royalties on lightning products, not USB-C products.
Apple makes money at every opportunity and enjoys the discovery of how much the market will bear.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I made the mistake of getting rid of some old chargers. I should have kept them, now I actually want a 500mA or even better 300mA charger for times when I'm not in a hurry. Fast charging batteries does not help their battery life.
Best of all worlds (Score:1)
It's USB-C on one end, so you likely can't use it to connect all your previous accessories which were USB-A.
You put a $3 adaptor [amazon-adsystem.com] on it and you can.
Plus it's lightning on the other end, so you can plug the cable both ways,
I think you meant say "can't" but the connectors are different enough there is zero issue telling them apart? One is male and one female.
On the plus side, people are now getting a much faster charging adaptor than they would have if they stuck with the one in the box (which was about half
no thanks (Score:3)
$3 or $1 I don't care. Having an adapter on my cable, or worst, on the charger, is the last thing I want. I'll just buy the proper cable instead, with the right connector on each end.
Re: (Score:2)
"On the plus side, people are now getting a much faster charging adaptor..."
How is it a plus that the customer is now forced to buy what he has always had an option to buy? I don't know what's worse, how you always have to spin in Apple's favor or that you're so bad at it.
Clearly better (Score:3, Insightful)
How is it a plus that the customer is now forced to buy
A) Because probably 80% of customers already had a charging brick. It comes with the most Important part, a cable. So they are not "forced to buy" anything.
B) Because as I said, the chargers that came with iPhones in the past have been pretty wimpy (like 5W I think) so someone who didn't know any better was stuck with an interior charger to what they could have spending very little.
C) Also much better for the environment all around because millions o
Re: (Score:2)
I know what's worse, your complete inability to see things clearly where Apple is involved, to the point where you would rather turn the Earth into a single giant landfill rather than admit Apple has a good idea about anything.
If this was anything more than a way for Apple to add to their profit margin Apple would have included a coupon that customers could have submitted for a free charger. I know you are going to try and argue that that is also an environmental disaster but if the coupon is paper it would be recyclable/biodegradable and if they used an electronic coupon it wouldn't have added any environmental impact.
Even if they had included a coupon Apple would have seen an increase in profit margin since by your own figures
Re: (Score:2)
This is just what I wanted to reply. I have a friend with an iphone, he insisted that the only proper cable to charge his phone was the one from the apple store. I could not explain to him that two copper wires are the same in every corner of the universe.
Re: (Score:2)
>On the plus side, people are now getting a much faster charging adaptor than they would have if they stuck with the one in the box (which was about half the wattage). So even though you are paying a little bit you are gaining a long time fast charging device.
Are you sure that "people are now getting a much faster charging adaptor than they would have if they stuck with the one in the box"? Since the iPad Air ships with the 20W adapter what was stopping Apple from also including the 20W adapter with the new iPhones? Sure the previous generation of iPhones were shipped with a lower wattage adapter but that doesn't preclude Apple from shipping a higher wattage adapter with future devices.
Re:Worst of both worlds (Score:5, Interesting)
I think what a lot of people miss is that Apple doesn't really have much incentive to kill Lightning, in fact I'd argue they have more incentive to keep it. Most companies move to standard connections types save on development cost and provide cheaper options, but Apple stays on esoteric and occasionally proprietary connections (see how they're handling wireless charging) as it's an opportunity to charge the customer more as well as create a barrier to exit (i.e. can't directly use those accessories you paid extra for on competitors).
Re:Worst of both worlds (Score:5, Insightful)
This is true if you consider consumers are stupid. What you describe is a very good reason for not buying Apple products.
Re: (Score:2)
I think the most likely reason is to hold back demands that if it had a USB-C port that it accept USB-C accessories vs. just "made for iPhone" accessories.
I suppose you can spin this in a way that says anything not bought from Aliexpress or a street corner in China with a lightning connector will probably work, so its some kind of insurance policy of compatibility.
What's dumb is that it seems to just impose limits because Apple hasn't figured out how to segment and monetize those features, like connecting a
Re: (Score:3)
I think there might be a bit of psychological manipulation involved too. The success of the iPhone depends upon it being 'the iPhone' - a product in a class of its own, comparable to nothing outside it. If it were just a phone, one of thousands of similar products on offer, customers may well realize a high-end android phone has almost identical capabilities at a much lower price. Apple need to make sure their product is not viewed as just-another-phone, and one way they achieve this is to maintain a delibe
Re:Worst of both worlds (Score:5, Informative)
Apple missed a good opportunity to kill lightning.
Watching the video, it seemed pretty clear that Lightning is getting replaced...with MagSafe. MagSafe—which is just Qi with magnets that make mounting possible and alignment easier—will finally allow Apple to achieve their unstated-but-obvious goal of a port-less iPhone while also successfully replacing one proprietary connection with another. And because it's just Qi + magnets, it'll continue working with standard Qi chargers, thus likely skirting regulatory requirements about supporting industry standards. But before they can do that, they first need to let third-parties have the time necessary to develop and produce MagSafe accessories. They said that Belkin would be making a MagSafe car mount/charger, which is a product I've wanted for years (magnetic mounts up to now have required ugly, stick-on magnets that can mess with wireless charging), and my wife was already talking about wanting to put a MagSafe mount/charger in the kitchen so she can vertically mount the phone out of the way while still being able to read recipes off it.
I'd bet on Apple dropping Lightning altogether in another year or two and then I expect that we won't see any other movement when it comes to charging until Apple finally delivers on the promise of "true" wireless power that's been rumored to be in the works for years. I.e. Place a transmitter base station somewhere nearby and your phone will automatically charge while it's in your pocket, on your desk, sitting in the cup holder of your car, etc.. They're made acquisitions over the years in the field and contributed to Intel's wireless power transmission work as well, so we know they're in this space. It's just a matter of when they can bring something to market that's the right size and cost effective.
It's USB-C on one end, so you likely can't use it to connect all your previous accessories which were USB-A.
iPhone users already have loads of Lightning to USB-A cables laying around, in the same way that Android users have micro-USB or USB-C cables laying around. If not, you can pick up MFi certified ones for dirt cheap (AmazonBasics even has them). In contrast, Apple's newer devices are all switching over to USB-C (e.g. Macs, iPads, etc.), and most users are only just now starting to buy-in to the USB-C ecosystem, so many of them don't have those cables yet, making the inclusion of this cable a welcome one.
Re: (Score:1)
a port-less iPhone while also successfully replacing one proprietary connection with another. And because it's just Qi + magnets, it'll continue working with standard Qi chargers, thus likely skirting regulatory requirements about supporting industry standards.
That's what "Qi" is: the relevant standard, and the associated patents cover anything where there is communication over the same inductor pair as the charging. If you don't want Qi, and you want to be portless, you have to either accept slow charging, inefficient (hot) charging, or out-of-band communication.
You believe there are regulatory requirements about supporting industry standards? WTF? You must be a Republican, that's usually who believes there to be some giant mountain of regulations telling compan
Re: (Score:2, Offtopic)
That's what "Qi" is: the relevant standard
Reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, I see, because that's literally the point I was making: that by supporting Qi, they'd be supporting the industry standard.
You believe there are regulatory requirements about supporting industry standards? WTF? You must be a Republican, that's usually who believes there to be some giant mountain of regulations telling companies how to make their products. Or I guess you could be a Euroidiot who doesn't understand that your regulations are written to allow whatever the American companies do.
Oooh, so close, but still a bigot. I'm actually an American who isn't officially affiliated with a political party, and I was speaking of the EU regulations regarding common power supplies, which—contrary to your claims (which have plenty of other counterexamples, such as the GDPR)—actually have pushed American companies such as M
Re: (Score:2)
That's what "Qi" is: the relevant standard
Reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, I see,
Derptastic. That's a stupid thing to say to me.
I'm actually an American who isn't officially affiliated with a political party
See, you admit I was correct, even while pretending that you're arguing with me. How would you have any clue about my reading comprehension? LOL You're not even intellectually honest, you don't know your head from your ass.
Thanks for playing.
You're the only one playing a guessing game.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
MagSafe—which is just Qi with magnets that make mounting possible and alignment easier
No it's not. Qi is limited at 7.5W on the iPhone. Magsafe can charge at 15W.
Re: (Score:2)
MagSafe—which is just Qi with magnets that make mounting possible and alignment easier
No it's not. Qi is limited at 7.5W on the iPhone. Magsafe can charge at 15W.
Actually, it is. MagSafe is as I described it: Qi with magnets. The issue you're calling out (which, to be clear, I am very glad you're bringing up, because it's something I wasn't aware of until I talked about it with you yesterday [slashdot.org]) is that Apple is limiting traditional Qi to just 7.5W while placing no such limit on MagSafe, but that doesn't mean that MagSafe's charging technology is something different. What they're using is still just Qi, but with shackles on it that only get unlocked in the presence of
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds like the two first E of EEE.
If it's Qi + magnets, then the Apple charger is going to be able to charge any Qi 1.2 Extended Power Profile device at 15W.
Also, the Qi standard is fine. No reason to artificially limit the power to 7.5W when not on an Apple-certified charger. The only reason to do that, is, as always, greed.
If Magsafe chargers were good by themselves, Apple wouldn't need to artificially cripple the charging on other chargers.
Re: (Score:2)
It's only a problem for new arrivals to iPhone. People who have used iPhone already have plenty of USB-A to Lightning cables and probably a ton of lightning accessories. These all work just fine.
This makes it really hard to kill Lightning
Re: Worst of both worlds (Score:3)
The USB-C is what frustrates me. I really like USB-C in principle, but it's not yet common enough to assume an end user already has a USB-C brick (to me, at least). The cost isn't nearly as important to me as the inconvenience. If you want the customer base to adopt USB-C charging, then include the brick in the package. Otherwise if I bought one I would just default to my old A charging cords, and the new C cord would sit in my drawer until charging via USB-C became more common.
On a related note, I think t
Re: (Score:2)
Cars will still have USB-A for decades. My first car with a CD player was a model year 2013. My previous one (year 2000) had a tape.
Damn Apple is really getting cheap... (Score:2, Insightful)
If I were stupid enough to consider buying an iPhone 12 which I'm quite sure is either very close to a grand (or, more likely OVER a grand), I'd DAMN SURE reconsider if those suits in Cupertino are so f'king cheap that they want to tack on $19 MORE for a necessary phone charger. Sure the hell glad I'm not that stupid, but I'm sure they'll sell a load of them to those with more money than brains...
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
They're doing the world a favor: instead of bundling the cost of the cable into the cost of phone, they are now separating that cost so that you can opt out in order to make the phone cheaper!
Next up: Tesla does not provide working charging ports on their cars, instead they can be licensed for $500.
Re: (Score:3)
They're doing the world a favor: instead of bundling the cost of the cable into the cost of phone, they are now separating that cost so that you can opt out in order to make the phone cheaper!
The iPhone 12 isn't really cheaper though. As a matter of fact, Apple raised the starting price of the iPhone 12 compared to the iPhone 11.
iPhone 11 had a starting price of $699 (64GB storage) when it came out. iPhone 12 (64GB storage) now starts at $799.
The iPhone 12 mini starts at $699, but it isn't a direct replacement for iPhone 11; It's a new model.
And you don't get the power adapter ($19) or the EarPods ($19).
Re: (Score:2)
But also, the price of those two lowest phones really is $700* and $800*!
*Haha just kidding it's really $730** and $830** because those prices above are only carrier locked models.
**Haha just kidding again, it's really $750 and $850 because you won't get a power brick.
Courageous!
https://apple.slashdot.org/sto... [slashdot.org]
Re:Damn Apple is really getting cheap... (Score:5, Insightful)
Every USB-whichever power supply I've had included in a device's box in the last 5 years has been inferior in some way to the $15 alternate delivered next day by Amazon. They either don't output anywhere close to the same power,, or they are port limited, or they flimsy enough I expect them burn down my house.
I doubt very much that Apple is doing this because they see $19 power supplies are a significant revenue stream. More likely because they recognize most of their customers who can spend $1000 on a phone likely have other devices and better power supplies.
This is exactly my issue too (Score:1)
Every USB-whichever power supply I've had included in a device's box in the last 5 years has been inferior in some way to the $15 alternate delivered next day by Amazon.
I totally agree here, why flood with world with yet more mediocre adaptors that you don't end up using because they are slower than even a fairly cheap adaptor to add on? It's not like you have to buy the Apple one even (though the Apple one for $19 has a pretty good quick charge for an iPhone).
If you badly need some adaptor with a very expe
Re: (Score:2)
That said, it kind of stinks they decided to do this the same year they went from USB A/Lightning to USB C/Lightning for the cables. Most iPhone users won't have bricks for those.
Re: (Score:2)
You can still use your USB A to Lightning charger and cable.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Assuming that your old USB A to Lightning cables aren't worn out already, sure. If you travel with them, the Apple branded ones tend to wear out in six months. Even the "armored" heavy duty braided cables only tend to last a year.
Let's face it, the real logic behind this decision was to increase wireless charger and Airpod sales at the time of purchase.
Re: (Score:2)
The 20-watt charger that came with my Motorola last year was great. And no, I did not have a single USB-C charger before I bought it. I think I had one USB-C cord on my keyboard that was very much in use.
Not everyone has spent their years buying the latest iProduct and accumulating the associated chargers. But I guess most of their customer base consists of that kind of person.
Re: (Score:2)
$799 for the basic iPhone 12 at the lowest memory capacity, going up to $1,299 for the 12 Pro with 256GB. Prices in US dollars.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Storage, sorry. The prices are comparable to the top-of-the-line, flagship Android phones like the S20. The key difference is in the range: There are plenty of budget and mid-range Android phones, so buyers do have the option of deciding how much they want to spend to meet their own needs. With Apple, there's no low-end or mid-range iPhone: Your only options are either super-expensive does-everything phone, or even-more-expensive has-more-storage phone.
I imagine this is because Apple know the value of their
Re: (Score:2)
If I were stupid enough to consider buying an iPhone 12 which I'm quite sure is either very close to a grand (or, more likely OVER a grand)
Given how "sure" you are about something that's not only wrong, but would have been easily to fact-check before spouting off, I can only assume that the rest of your post is equally as ill-informed and lacking in insight, despite its brevity.
Contrary to your thinking, this year's iPhone line starts at $699 [apple.com] for a configuration that's likely to be their best-seller, but if you don't care about all the bells and whistles, there's also the iPhone SE that came out just a few months ago, has nearly identical inte
Re: (Score:2)
If I were stupid enough to consider buying an iPhone 12 which I'm quite sure is either very close to a grand (or, more likely OVER a grand), I'd DAMN SURE reconsider if those suits in Cupertino are so f'king cheap that they want to tack on $19 MORE for a necessary phone charger.
Cheap has nothing to do with shipping yet another fucking useless piece of e-waste. Stop demanding more garbage. No literal garbage, which is where these damn things end up by the mountain full.
Re: (Score:2)
If Apple really cared about the environmental impact of this change, they would offer a charger at the Apple Store if you stated that you needed one at the time of purchase. The fact that they are now charging $20 for it shows where their real motives lie.
Re: (Score:2)
If Apple really cared about the environmental impact of this change, they would offer a charger at the Apple Store if you stated that you needed one at the time of purchase.
They do. For the completely irrelevant fee of 2% of the device's cost. If you make something free, idiots feel entitled to it, or cheated if they don't ask for it. That perpetuates the garbage problem.
At $20 it's one of the cheapest official Apple accessories, about the same price as many frigging cables, and less than most of the competition charges for chargers. So yeah I see their motivations clearly. Maybe you should too.
Re: (Score:2)
I think that the real motivation is for Apple to sell a set of AirPods and a MagSafe wireless charger with most new phone orders, increasing the total bill by about $200. When Apple says that it wants to "Go Green", cash is the kind of green that they're really talking about in upper management.
But, hey, Apple can feel free to prove me wrong and start offering those chargers and earbuds for a more nominal price like $5, which would cover their manufacturing costs.
Re: (Score:2)
So day 1 DLC for hardware. (Score:3)
Continuing our 5 star legacy of commitment to our loyal customers, we've found a new and exciting way to "enhance" our product line post release! This ones a game changer folks! Introducing the BATTERY! For the low price of only $20, you can now pair your official charger (sold separatey) with an officially licensed battery!
Customers who purchase the core unit, charger, and the battery will unlock the ability to make calls, send SMS, and connect to mobile data networks all while completely untethered to a power outlet! The future is now!
Watch for our new storefront (TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY) where you will soon be able to enhance your devices even more with our soon to be released line of officially licensed cosmetic enhancements and features!
You spoke, we listened!
Re: (Score:2)
> Customers who purchase the core unit, charger, and the battery will unlock the ability to make calls, send SMS, and connect to mobile data networks all while completely untethered to a power outlet! The future is now!
No they won't unless they buy the official antenna (sold separately) for the chosen band. They can either get the single-band antenna or opt for the ProTenna which offers multiple phone bands (licence fee applies, limited time offer for 2 or more bands for a reduced price, check for deals
plus 30% (Score:1)
Apple is saving the environment (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
When you give something to people for free, they will feel entitled to it regardless if they have a need for it or not. Humans are horribly wasteful when we're given something for nothing. Just look at the reduction in plastic bag usage when we started having to pay 10 lousy cents for it.
If Apple profits off the back of compensation against global stupidity, then more power to them. Making people pay even a token amount for something causes them to at least engage an additional braincell.
I hope they dropped the price of devices by $19 (Score:2)
Otherwise, it's just another "stupid" tax for consumers.
Re: (Score:2)
They keep making better iPhones but are not increasing the price, year after year.
Consider that extra 19 dollars went into the phone instead of being wasted on a power adapter.
Thank God! (Score:2)
I already have 8-10 of those.
Re: (Score:2)
You have minus two power adapters? How?!
Re: (Score:2)
Antimatter.
Good! (Score:2)
I hope this becomes a trend, I just gave away a box of 20 USB adapters I'd accumulated over the years from various purchases. I sure don't need another one.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm moving house. I've got a storage crate dedicated to surplus USB power supplies, and that's after I tossed all the sub-1A ones.
Re: (Score:2)
I hope this becomes a trend, I just gave away a box of 20 USB adapters I'd accumulated over the years from various purchases. I sure don't need another one.
You had 20 lightening to USB-C adapters?! damn!
What would I do with a lightning to USB-C adapter? I have a bunch of USB-A and USB-C power adapters. The new iPhone comes with a USB-C -> Lightning cable.
Tim Cook Is a Genius (Score:2)
Don't get me wrong, I have no idea how long they can keep on abusing their customers and not have it come back to bite them but in the meantime it's an inter
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
With how much he dicks the customers, I think he's more of a top.
Doesn't ship with a power adapter (Score:1)
because, why would I want to use the fancy phone I bought to begin with?
I just finally said no ........ (Score:2)
Ordered a Pixel 5 ... I know, I 'm sure the Iphone 12 does all kinda cool stuff and will let apple get further into my pocket .. but the 5 does all I need it to and I can load apps from other app stores if I want to ... so bye Felicia
Next Apple innovation will be... (Score:1)
Next Apple innovation will be the iPhone 2021, a 6G phone without a screen, battery and main board. This way, Apple is going to save the environment a lot in CO2 emissions and the consumers' pocket space.
If you really need the flexibility of having a phone with a touch screen, you can purchase it separately for just $499,99! The optional battery will also allow you to use the iPhone 2021 on the move, outside your house and while you practice sports. All for an additional $199,99! What a steal!
WHY ? (Score:1)
I wonder (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
PROFIT MARGINS! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Just how much do you think they are making on these? It has to be 90%.
This is pretty publicly available data. The profit margin of the iPhone is ~59%.