Apple to Stop Including EarPods With Every iPhone Sold in France From Next Week
With the iPhone 12 last year, Apple removed EarPods and the power adapter from the iPhone box, claiming it was doing so in part to reduce its environmental footprint. With both accessories removed, the iPhone box was made drastically thinner. Apple retroactively removed both items from older iPhones it continued to sell.
Despite Apple’s announcement, the company was required to continue shipping iPhones with EarPods in France. Apple’s lawful obligation to include the EarPods was based on the precautionary principle, because the risks of exposing developing brains to electromagnetic waves are not clearly known.
Now, that’s all about to change. According to a notice posted by French carrier Fnac, iPhones will no longer ship with EarPods in the box starting on January 24. A machine translation of the poster reads:
DEAR CUSTOMERS,
We would like to inform you that our manufacturers are no longer required to supply headphones/hands-free kits with their smartphones in France. This new law, adopted in late 2021, aims to reduce the environmental footprint in France.The Xiaomi brand is concerned, for products purchased from the week of January 17, 2022. The same will be true for the Apple brand as of from the week of January 24, 2022
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Apple’s France website continues to show EarPods as an item included in the box with the iPhone alongside a USB-C to Lightning cable. While it did remove the EarPods from the box, Apple reduced their price to $19, down from $29, when the iPhone 12 launched in September 2020.
Apple’s decision to remove EarPods and the power adapter from the iPhone box was controversial in other countries, too. For example, Apple was fined $2 million in Brazil for not including the power adapter with the iPhone.
Popular Stories
Review: M1 Max MacBook Pro After Three Months
It’s now been a few months since the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models launched in October, and MacRumors video editor Dan Barbera has been using one of the new machines since they debuted. Over on the MacRumors YouTube channel, Dan has shared a three month review of his MacBook Pro to see how it has held up over time and how it’s changed his workflow.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube …
New iPhone SE Likely to Launch in April Based on Production Timeframe
Apple suppliers will begin producing display panels for the third-generation iPhone SE this month, with final assembly of the device likely to start in March, according to information shared by display industry consultant Ross Young.
Based on this production timeframe, Young believes the third-generation iPhone SE is likely to launch in the second half of April, or perhaps in early May at…
Apple Updates AirPods 3 Firmware to Version 4C170
Apple today released a new 4C170 firmware update for the AirPods 3, an update from the prior 4C165 that was made available in December.
Apple does not offer details on what’s included in new firmware updates for the AirPods, so we don’t know what improvements or bug fixes the new firmware brings.
There is no standard way to upgrade the AirPods software, but firmware is…
New Apple Products Filed in Regulatory Database, Likely Including New iPhone SE and iPad Air
Apple today filed unreleased iPhone and iPad models in the Eurasian Economic Commission database, as spotted by French blog Consomac.
The filings likely represent the rumored third-generation iPhone SE, fifth-generation iPad Air, and potentially more. The unreleased iPhone models have the identifiers A2595, A2783, and A2784, while the unreleased iPad models have the identifiers A2588, A2589, …
Microsoft Releases Office for Mac Update With Full Apple Silicon Support in Excel
Microsoft has released a new version of its Office for Mac productivity suite that includes an updated Excel app with 100% native support for Apple silicon machines.
According to the release notes accompanying version 16.57, Excel will now run natively on Macs powered by Apple’s M1-series processors without having to use the Rosetta 2 translation layer, which means anyone using a Mac with an …
Apple’s US Education Store Now Requires Institution Verification to Buy Discounted Products
Apple is now requiring that customers in the United States verify that they’re active students, teachers, or staff members at an educational institution in order to access education discounts on products.
Previously, little verification was needed for customers to purchase products through Apple’s education store in the United States. Apple’s education stores offer models of the iPad and Mac …
ProMotion Now Expected to Remain Exclusive to iPhone 14 Pro Models, Not Expand to Entire Lineup
Continuing the tradition set with the iPhone 13 Pro, only the highest-end iPhone 14 models will feature Apple’s ProMotion display technology, according to a respected display analyst.
Ross Young, who on multiple occasions has detailed accurate information about Apple’s future products, said in a tweet that ProMotion will not be expanded to the entire iPhone 14 lineup and will remain…
Rumored iPhone 14 Pro Feature Delayed Until Next Year
Apple’s long-rumored under-display Face ID technology will not be coming to the iPhone 14 Pro, according to recent reports.
Based on the latest rumors, it now looks unlikely that the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature Face ID technology under the display as several reports claimed over the past year.
Display industry consultant Ross Young, who often reveals …