Apple heavily condemned for selling phones without chargers

A judge in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday ordered Apple to pay nearly $20 million in damages for selling its recent iPhone models without a charger, reports Reuters. The judge of the 18th Civil Court of Sao Paulo condemned Apple for “abusive practice” on the grounds that by selling its iPhone 12 and 13 models without a charger, the Californian firm “conditioned the purchase of a product so that another could operate”. It had been seized by the Brazilian Association of Consumers (ABMCC).

This decision, which Apple can appeal, follows a fine of $ 2.5 million already imposed in September for the same reasons by the consumer protection service of the Department of Justice, which banned the sale of these models. without charger. Apple stopped including a charger in October 2020, when it launched the iPhone 12, citing a “commitment to the environment”.

A USB-C type charger imposed in Europe

The judge further ordered the California-based company to provide chargers to consumers who purchased iPhone 12s and 13s in the past two years, and henceforth to include chargers in the sale of all of its models.

In Europe, the Parliament last week imposed the obligation of an identical USB-C type charger for all smartphones, tablets and other portable electronic devices sold in the EU by autumn 2024, at the chagrin to Apple. The Cupertino company is indeed the main opponent of such pioneering legislation in the world which will force it to change all of its connectors.