Apple announced yesterday that it would be removing wired EarPod headphones and wall chargers from iPhone boxes. The only accessory you get in the box is a USB-C to Lightning cable. Apple is positioning this as an environmentally-friendly move that will reduce carbon emissions and let the company ship more devices on a single pallet.
Apple has made those accessories a little less expensive than they used to be. A set of EarPods with a Lightning connector now costs $19, which is a $10 discount from their previous price. And Apple has also introduced a new $19 20-watt power adapter, discontinuing the older 18-watt charger that cost $29. If you opt to buy both of them, though, that still means you’re paying an extra $38 on top of what you’re already paying for your iPhone 12.
Apple’s decision to remove the headphones and wall charger isn’t totally unexpected, as the company also opted not to pack in a power adapter with this year’s Apple Watch lineup. And it’s not just the iPhone 12 lineup that won’t have the headphones and charger Apple’s listings for the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, and iPhone SE say those phones only come with a USB-C to Lightning cable as well.
