Brazil fines Apple and bans sale of latest iPhone
Apple says it will appeal the ban, arguing that it has helped reduce environmental waste by not including battery chargers
Sao Paulo — Brazil’s government on Tuesday ordered Apple to stop selling iPhones without a battery charger in the country, claiming that the company provides an incomplete product to consumers.
The justice ministry fined Apple 12.275-million reais ($2.38m) and ordered the cancellation of the sale of the iPhone 12 and newer models, in addition to suspending the sale of any iPhone model that does not come with a power charger.
In the order, published in the country’s official gazette, the ministry argued that the iPhone was lacking an essential component in a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers”.
The authorities rejected Apple’s argument that the practice had the purpose of reducing carbon emissions saying that there is no evidence of environmental protection from selling the smartphone without a charger.
The order comes a day before Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone model.
Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to appeal Brazil’s ban, arguing that the company has helped reduce environmental waste by not including the accessory with new devices.
“At Apple, we consider our impact on people and the planet in everything we do,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Power adapters represented our largest use of zinc and plastic and eliminating them from the box helped cut over 2-million tonnes of carbon emissions — equivalent to removing 500,000 cars from the road per year.”
Apple announced in 2020 that it would stop putting chargers in new iPhone boxes, drawing outcry from some consumers, who saw it as a cost-cutting move. The company argues that there are already billions of USB-A adapters in the world that customers can use to charge their devices.
Apple said on Tuesday that it would continue working with Brazil’s consumer protection agency to “address their concerns and plan to appeal this decision”.
“We’ve already won a number of court decisions in Brazil on this topic and are confident our customers are aware of the various options to charge and connect their devices,” the Cupertino, California-based company said. With Bloomberg
Update: September 6 2022
This story has been updated with Apple’s reaction.
Reuters