Apple makes an EXTRA £5 billion by no longer shipping chargers and headphones with its new iPhones.
- Apple said the move was intended to reduce waste and received praise from environmentalists when it said it would cut two million tons of carbon emissions annually.
- Critics say persistently high prices have hurt customers’ pockets.
- As of 2020, Apple is charging customers £19 for a new plug or headphone.
- Experts believe Apple could save around £27 on each phone.
Apple has made about £5 billion by no longer supplying chargers and headphones for its new iPhones.
The tech giant said the move, which was announced two years ago, was aimed at reducing waste and received praise from environmentalists, saying it would cut annual carbon emissions by two million tons, the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road.
But critics say buyers have been hurt because the removal of adapters and headphones has not been accompanied by a price cut.
As of 2020, Apple charges £19 for a new plug or headphones. Critics argue that if the company were to make full savings, including cutting shipping costs by about 40% because smaller packaging allows 70% more devices to fit on each pallet, iPhone prices would be lower.
As of 2020, Apple is charging its customers £19 for a new plug or headphone.
Experts believe that Apple, whose new iPhones cost up to £1,549, could save around £27 on each phone. The analysis takes into account that although the adapters and headphones are priced at £19, they are much cheaper to manufacture.
Ben Wood, principal analyst at technology firm CCS Insight, said, “Apple is a leader in the mobile phone market that helps the environment. One of the many things she does is ditch chargers and headphones. But of course, Apple saves on costs by ditching chargers and headphones when selling iPhones.”
Apple is believed to have sold 190 million iPhones worldwide since the move was announced. The total profit from moving away from chargers and headphones and reducing shipping costs could be up to £5bn, with an additional £225m coming from the sale of accessories.
The UK share is valued at over £280 million.
In 2020, Apple’s environmental chief Lisa Jackson said, “We know that customers are hoarding adapters, and that producing millions of unnecessary adapters consumes resources and increases our carbon footprint.”
Last night, an Apple spokesperson said: “We have set ourselves the goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. One step along the way is to reduce the amount of materials used in our products and packaging.” This has reduced carbon emissions by two million metric tons and others are following suit.”