Rumors persist that Apple will ship its upcoming iPhone 12 lineup sans a few traditional accessories. Taiwanese research firm TrendForce said today that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 12 will not include a power adapter or EarPods in the box.
The omission of those two accessories is expected to help Apple save money on production costs and shipping/packaging costs. Plus, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has also predicted no charger or EarPods in the box, says the lack of EarPods could help spur an increase in Apple’s AirPods wireless earbuds. He also claims the Cupertino firm will debut a new 20W fast charger for the iPhone 12 that will be sold separately.
TrendForce and other sources have noted that iPhone 12 models will be more expensive for Apple to manufacture due to 5G support, so omitting accessories form the box will be one way to cut costs.
Kuo believes the iPhone 12 lineup will be priced similar to the iPhone 11 lineup, with the iPhone 11 starting at $699, the iPhone 11 Pro starting at $999, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max starting at $1,099 in the United States.
Apple is likely to push the environmental benefits of omitting the EarPods and charger, as it will result in a slimmer package using less materials to manufacture.
While Apple recently admitted that the iPhone will hit shelves “a few weeks later” than its normal September timeframe, Leaker John Prosser recently claimed Apple will switch it up a bit this fall, announcing their new Apple Watch and iPad devices during early September, while unveiling the new iPhone 12 lineup at a virtual event in mid-October.
Prosser said that the Apple Watch and iPad would be announced “Week 37 w/c Sep 7,” while the iPhone event would take place “Week 42 w/c Oct 12.” iPhone 12 devices would kickoff “week 42 w/c Oct 12,” shipping “week 43 w/c Oct 19.” iPhone 12 Pro devices would see preorders and shipping in November (Prosser didn’t apply an exact date).