The iPhone maker has become a trillion-dollar company and the reason is its loyal consumer base. Yes, Apple Inc. is one of the biggest technology companies of all times and to be at the top means having a spotlight of opinion for every decision that it takes to reach that status.
Having said that, you all must know that Apple has not included a charging brick and earphones with its iPhone 12 series packaging, claiming to be more environmentally conscious with its goal to reduce the carbon footprint of the company by 100%. Well, this decision attracted a lot of criticism because it is a very big step for any technology company but eventually everyone made their peace with it because… ENVIRONMENT.
However, recently on Friday, Brazilian regulators of Sao Paulo have fined Apple Inc. with a USD 2 million fine for not including chargers in their iPhone 12 series boxes, as mentioned in a report by 9to5Mac. According to a report by Gizmodo, Procon-SP, a consumer protection agency has apparently accused the iPhone maker to have not included charging bricks and earphones with their latest flagship iPhone 12 models and engaging in misleading advertisements. In addition to this, the company also accused Apple for keeping unfair contract terms with its loyal consumer base around the world and also refusing to repair defective Apple devices.
Apple covered their decision of not including essentials like charging adapters and earphones in the iPhone 12 packaging by saying that it aims to reduce electronic waste, citing multiple environmental concerns. In fact, this was mentioned in a separate segment during the Apple keynote that it is aiming to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 100%, but this generous decision by Apple was shunned by people accusing the tech company of tactics to slash down their shipping costs, according to critics.
Procon-SP also says that Apple’s consumer contract is very broad which shields and protects the company from their responsibility when its devices are found to be having problems, as mentioned in a report by Gizmodo.
Furthermore, Apple has reportedly earned over USD 100 billion in the first quarter of 2021 and paying off USD 2 million as fine is not a big deal for the trillion-dollar company. Apple also has an option to take their case to the Brazilian court but in my personal opinion and as history supports, Apple will not get into this feud over a matter of $2 million. Also, the company currently has an ongoing battle in the courts against Epic Games over Fortnite.
