Everyone I know has at least 10 USB-C cables lying around, what’s the point of shipping more e-waste?
They are a huge tech company. They sound have a checkbox in the checkout flow that lets you add a free cable if you need one.
Ok, let’s be real here. A charger can last a decade even if the charging speed slows…a cord will not outlast a phone. If it does, there’s a serious issue
I see you’ve been using apple cables. Other cables will absolutely last ten years or more.
Frankly, I don’t see much of a problem with this.
They’ll sell the “Apple” charging cable for $40 or something fucking insane, but as long as you can buy and use a normal USB-C cable that does exactly the same thing, go for it.
Of course being Apple, they will probably void the warranty or add an identifier to their cables so that nothing else works. In that case, I hope the EU bankrupts them completely.
Apple: As long as we can gaslight you into thinking we’re classy, we can do whatever the fuck we want
Once the phone runs out of battery, send it to warranty repair
2030: After headphone jacks, Apple removes USB-C charging ports in favor of wireless charging.
You misspelled 2026.
Final step would be to remove the phone from the box. They would do world a favor.
Any moment now…
Price wouldn’t change.
I was just thinking either box or the phone has to go next.
It would probably be an important step, considering the article is about AirPod 4 boxes.
I don’t love it, but I guess it does remove some e-waste. I don’t use any of the original cables for my headphone or my phone.
Really? Send them to me. The cables they come with are always really nice and I know they’ll support the data rates and powers the device can use.
There’s not a data connection for this device?
Apple isn’t the only company doing this
I’m not denying their quality. I have just been using my original oculus quest and my steam deck charger for my phone, tablet and headphones.
Important to note that they removed the cable from the AirPod 4’s box, not the iPhone’s. They are also not the first company to do this.
When do they start removing the phones from the boxes?
Lucky you! They never offered a phone in the AirPods boxes.
Now, Apple might argue that they’re being environmentally conscious by reducing packaging waste. That’s a fair point,
It isn’t… That’s like not flushing the toilet in a public bathroom to “save water”
Flushing two toilets because there is all the packaging and shipping for the separate apple branded cables.
They should remove the USB-C ports, so you have to send it back to Apple for charging
Soon as we can figure out micro nuclear reactors it may actually work that way!
Beta-voltaic batteries are already a thing.
Huh, you’re right. I didn’t know about that. From Wikipedia:
The Chinese startup claims to have the miniature device in the pilot testing stage. Unveiled in January 2024, it is allegedly generating 100 microwatts of power and a voltage of 3V and has a lifetime of 50 years without any need for charging or maintenance.
Wonder if it microwaves your balls when it’s in your pocket too.
Either way we can dream of a future where we never have to plug in to charge again.
It’s old tech actually. They use it in pacemakers because it’s too difficult to replace or recharge the batteries. I guess you could do wireless charging now, but would you feel much safer with a lithium battery inside of you without a good cooling system? The body’s internal temperature is surprisingly warm when you start doing the engineering.
Why even have a box at this point? Just put the phone in the mail by itself, it’s durable right?
I honestly can’t be mad at this point because what they SHOULD do is sell cables in bulk packaging to the Apple store, and then when they sell a phone they say “Do you need a USB cable? Free with the phone.” If they say “No we’re okay I’ve got hundreds of them by now” no problem, if they say “Yeah in fact can I get two?” Sure. Same with chargers. Of course this is Apple we’re talking about, so they’re probably $69.99 each.
There is a good Adam Savage video on yt about the engineering of the thunderbolt or whatever cables.
They still should be shipped in bulk to the store but it makes more sense why they wouldn’t be given away free
I could understand if you were buying a pay-as-you-go phone on the cheap… but this is an iPhone you’re talking about. What’s the minimum, $799? I think they can afford to toss a cable your way if you need one.
iPhones don’t come with those expensive high-bandwidth cables, they come with charging cables that only do USB 2.0
I’ve had one apart and to be fair they are not carelessly made. They’re jacketed in soft silicone under the braid and have thicker than average stranded conductors. You can totally use whatever cables you want, but theirs are built a little better than you’d think and they just feel nice.
Maybe this is a tactile/autism thing for me?
