Brazil’s consumer protection agency, Procon-SP, has fined Apple almost $2 million for ‘misleading advertising, selling a device without the charger, and unfair terms’.
Procon-SP said that Apple had not responded to further questioning about the decision to not ship a charger with the iPhone 12, and did not demonstrate any environmental gain from the move.
The agency’s Executive Director said that Apple needs to respect Brazil’s strong consumer protection laws. Apple had announced the decision to not include chargers and earphones with the iPhone 12 in October last year, saying that the move would help curb the electronic waste problem.
Critics of the move have said that the environmental impact is minimal, and that the removal was mainly aimed at reducing Apple’s shipping costs.