Apple has been fined in Brazil over its decision to stop shipping a wall charger with the iPhone 12, which launched last fall.
The Brazilian state of São Paulo was none too pleased about the move and on Friday Procon-SP — the state’s consumer protection agency — fined the tech giant an amount equivalent to about $1.9 million for violating its Consumer Defense Code.
The size of the penalty is clearly small change for a company that posted revenue of $111.4 billion for its last quarter — an earnings record for Apple that was powered by initial sales of the iPhone 12.
Following the fine, Procon-SP executive director Fernando Capez warned California-based Apple that it should be careful to respect Brazil’s consumer laws and institutions.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple had failed to respond to Procon-SP inquiries when asked if it had reduced the cost of the iPhone 12 after removing the charger. It also offered no response to questions about the price of the iPhone with and without the charger, and whether it had reduced the number of chargers that it made.
When news of Procon-SP’s concerns first emerged in December 2020, Apple insisted it had removed the charger for environmental reasons, a decision that it said enables it to avoid wasting precious raw materials and energy on building components that many people already own.
But critics weren’t impressed, claiming that Apple made the move in a bid to nudge customers into forking out for its wireless MagSafe charger or its faster power adapter.
Digital Trends has reached out to Apple for comment on the fine and we will update this article if we hear back.
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