From now, all you can expect in an iPhone box is the device itself, some paperwork to go with it and nothing more.
Apple will not provide earpod headphones and a 5W wall charger with its new iPhones in an attempt to make its packaging more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
However, the company will include a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box, which can be plugged into an existing wall adapter or a computer for charging.
These accessories will also be cut from iPhone XR, 11 and SE boxes.
This move is expected to make a smaller, lighter and a more environmentally sustainable iPhone packaging going forward. Rumours and leaks suggested that the company would make such a move, in line to cut costs. But Apple claims it can bring down packaging by 70% and ship more phones at the same time, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
“These changes will cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to removing nearly 450,000 cars from the road per year,” the company said in a press release.
Even when Apple removed a 3.5-mm headphone jack from its phones in 2016, the company did provide its wired EarPods with a lightning adapter dongle in the packaging and continued to do so till the iPhone 11 that was launched in 2019.
Alternatives for the EarPods are Apple’s own Airpods -- wireless earbuds that are increasingly popular and now an important part of the company’s product strategy. The Cupertino firm also launched Magsafe, a wireless charging mat for the iPhone, which will be sold separately, this is a potential alternative for the wired charging system it used to include with its phones.