Apple looks set to move away from including EarPods and chargers with its iPhones, with a new report suggesting that neither will be included when you purchase the iPhone 12.
In a move that feels like a cash grab, a report by analyst Min-Chi Kuo and published by MacRumours says you’ll have to opt into buying the iPhone 12 with a 20W power adapter as an “optional accessory”.
The only way that a phone charger could possibly be considered “optional” would be if everyone had a perpetual motion machine that created energy out of nothing like on The Simpsons (see below).
The 20W adaptor will now be produced as Apple phases out its 5W and 18W power adaptors, which will undoubtedly deliver faster charging… if you can afford it.
In addition, EarPods will no longer be included in the box, a prediction that is shared by analysts at British bank Barclays.
The report suggests that the reason for cutting out the charger and Earpods is to help bring down production costs which are set to rise significantly due to the added capability for 5G. As a result, Apple plans to keep the cost of the iPhone 12 at a similar level to that of the 11.
The 12W power adapter that comes with current iterations of the 10.2-inch iPad, iPad Air, and iPad mini will still be included with purchase.
So what else will you get with the iPhone 12? Well the two higher-end Pro models are rumoured to feature a triple-lens camera system with a LiDAR Scanner (which we’ve already seen on the iPad Pro), opening the door for new augmented reality and VR experiences.
The release date is yet to be confirmed, but typically Apple likes to use September as its traditional release month. Whether the global pandemic has any impact on this remains to be seen.
As for breaking the laws of thermodynamics… well we can always dream can’t we?
