In the midst of numerous rumors that Apple will do away with the power adapter in its upcoming iPhone 12 boxes, Apple is surveying current iPhone owners about what they do with the USB power adapter that was furnished with their previous iPhones.
Brazilian Twitter user @Gunstaxl recently tweeted (via 9to5Mac) that an iPhone survey he received included several questions about how the charger, including one that asked about the fate of the charger that was included with his previous iPhone, an iPhone XR.
It appears that Apple may be currently limiting the survey to Brazilian users, as another Twitter mention was also from a Brazilian iPhone owner, @bedabb_, who was asked about the fate of his iPhone 7 Plus charger.
Answer options to Apple’s question about the previous charger include:
- Gave it to a family member or friend
- Recycled it
- Lost or misplaced it
- No longer working or not working well
- Still using it at home
- Still using it outside of my home (e.g., work, school, other location)
- Still have it, but don’t use it
- Sold it or traded it in with the iPhone
Numerous sources, including reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, says the new iPhone 12 lineup will not include the charger, or a set of earpods.
Kuo says that Apple wants to keep selling the iPhone 12 at a similar price to the iPhone 12 and that removing the in-box accessories will help offset the cost of the new devices’ 5G networking equipment.
Including fewer accessories in the box will presumably reduce the size and weight of the iPhone packaging, making them cheaper to ship and will also be more environmentally friendly. Kuo did not mention whether or not the Lightning cable will still be inside the box.
Kuo says a previously-leaked 20W power adapter is legitimate but will be an extra cost accessory, sold separately. The analyst believes Apple is discontinuing both the current 5W and 18 W chargers in favor of the new 20W model.
