Brazil declares it is prohibiting the selling of iPhones that do not come with an adapter for power.
In an announcement Tuesday, Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security stated that it had fined Apple 12.275 million reais (PS2.04m).
Brazilian Consumer agency Senacon claimed that Apple's decision not to include adapters for power in new iPhones is discriminatory against consumers because it's marketing as an "incomplete product".
Apple is appealing against the ban.
The company said to Reuters in a statement would work together with Brazilian authorities in order to "resolve their concerns," but also noted that it has obtained several court rulings in Brazil in relation to the issue.
"We are confident that our customers are aware of the various options for charging and connecting their devices," Apple stated.
The ban and fine on sales of iPhones with no USB chargers were made public one day prior to Apple presenting its latest iPhone 14, 14 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra.
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Sao Paulo's Consumer Protection Agency fined Apple PS2m in the past year, claiming that the sale of the iPhone 12 and every model since is in violation of the law on consumer protection because they do not come with chargers.
Pulling the plug
Apple has stopped putting headphones and power adapters inside iPhone boxes following the release of the iPhone 12 in 2020.
It claimed that the move followed the first elimination of power adapters from the brand new Apple Watch packaging, which will aid in reducing Apple's carbon footprint through the reduction of packaging.
"Sometimes it's not what we make, but what we don't make those counts," stated Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice-president of policy, environment and social initiatives, at Apple's keynote address in September of 2020.
She also said that there were around two billion officially licensed Apple power adapters available around the globe.
Season the group that presented its argument against the move in 2012 and said that Apple's arguments for eliminating USB Power adapters out of iPhone boxes on the basis of sustainability weren't "not enough".
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There is no evidence that the removal of chargers could have a positive impact on the environment.
In the Brazilian Justice Ministry, Senacon said that the company should have considered alternative options to reduce the environmental impact of its products which would not put an obligation on the consumer, for example, using USB-C-compatible cables and chargers to reduce the amount of e-waste.
The European Union provisionally agreed on plans to implement a unidirectional USB-C cable to charge mobile electronic gadgets in the course of this year.
'Incomplete product'
Season added that the sale of new iPhones that did not come with the power connector was an illustration of Apple effectively requiring consumers to purchase a second device after they have purchased a brand new iPhone.
The power adapter must be a part of the device because it is necessary for the operation of the phone. It is an "incomplete product" without it.
The organization added that this transfer of responsibility had been made to third-party service providers as well as consumers due to the fact that iPhones that do not have power adapters aren't priced lower.
Apple was approached to provide clarification.
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