In 2020, Apple launched its new iPhone where one of the premises was that it would not include a charger, under the argument of helping the environment; which generated great controversy, but marked the first step towards a trend that other companies have followed and whose background could also be in the strategy of reducing the cost of devices.
And it is that after the launch of the new team of the firm of the apple; The South Korean, Samsung, mocked the decision, however, months later, in January, it unveiled three Galaxy S21 models without accessories in the box; while at the end of last year Xiaomi reported that it was adopting a very similar measure.
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At the time, Apple's vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives Lisa Jackson noted that customers already have more than 700 million Lightning headphones, and many customers have moved to a wireless experience.
“There are also more than 2 billion Apple power adapters in the world, and that's not counting the billions of third-party adapters. We are removing these items from the iPhone case, which reduces carbon emissions and prevents mining and use of precious materials."
For Counterpoint Research, while it probably makes sense logistically and environmentally for upgrading Apple users who already have older iPhone accessories that work well with current models; There are a few other things to consider: Keep prices reasonable.
According to the firm, the company headed by Tim Cook has added 5G technology, screens, improved cameras, which represents an additional cost, which normally translates into a price increase to maintain margins; however, any increase in prices would have had a negative impact on demand, especially due to the Covid-19 contingency.
“By removing chargers and headphones, Apple was able to price the devices reasonably, raising the price by just $100 for iPhone 12 compared to iPhone 11 last year. It also launched the iPhone 12 mini at the introductory price of the iPhone 11”, cites the firm in a study.
For the consultant, the elimination of accessories makes more sense in regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, where Apple's installed base is high and over time these accessories have become redundant; but this might not be the case in emerging economies like India and Latin America, where it will be an additional cost to users, especially if they are switching from Android.
However, she argues that for a smartphone manufacturer to eliminate chargers across its portfolio will be an additional cost that will affect the entry and mid-level segments in particular, markets that are also highly price sensitive.
“If OEMs decide to remove accessories, it will only make sense if they reduce the cost of the device, especially in the lower price bands. Price-sensitive users would also likely start buying cheaper third-party chargers if chargers are removed," the study adds.
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In fact, it argues that part of the Android ecosystem will find it more difficult to remove chargers, since a charger from one company may not be optimized to work well on a device from another brand.
Along these lines, Patrick Chomet, Executive Vice President of Samsung, recently said that phasing out charger and headphone plugs from your device packaging can help address sustainable consumption issues.
“We find that more and more Galaxy users are reusing the accessories they already have and making sustainable choices in their daily lives to promote better recycling habits. To support our Galaxy community on this journey, we are transitioning to remove the charger plug and headphone jack on our latest line of Galaxy smartphones.”
Technological garbage in the world grows
According to Global E-Waste Monitor 2020, the world generated 53.6 million metric tons of electronic waste in 2019, ranging from a battery or plug, such as computers and mobile phones; however, that number will continue to rise to 74 million metric tons by 2030, almost double the amount recorded in 2014.
Furthermore, the study points out that in 2019, only 17.4% of e-waste was officially documented as formally collected and recycled.
According to the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), Mexico produces around 1.1 million tons of electronic and electrical waste, but it is estimated that by 2026 this amount could grow 17%.
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In October 2020, the agency indicated that, according to the National Inventory of Electronic and Electrical Device Waste of the COP Waste Project, 6% of the electronic waste generated each year (around 66 thousand tons) has materials highly polluting, such as heavy metals, batteries and plastics with flame retardants, which can cause serious damage to health and the environment.
Currently, with the increase in the purchase of televisions, computers and mobile phones during the Covid-19 pandemic, due to teleworking and distance education, a greater risk of exposure to highly toxic substances is expected.
Sales of hearing aids and accessories will skyrocket
Counterpoint Research believes that Apple's removal of the headphone jack was probably more of a decision to increase the development of the wireless charging and headphone ecosystem.
In fact, the Research and Markets firm predicts that the size of the market, valued at 228.57 billion dollars in 2019, will reach 328.69 billion dollars in 2030, which represents an annual growth of 3.3% these 10 years.
“Cutting-edge product launches by market players, growing demand for wireless accessories and fast processing software, as well as technological advances in photographic and imaging accessories, are creating new avenues for lucrative opportunities in the market. global mobile phone accessories”, he specifies.
In turn, Strategy Analytics estimated that global sales of bluetooth hearing aids last year was more than 300 million units, with Bluetooth recording a growth of almost 90%.
Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, associate director of the firm, noted that the installed base and penetration of Bluetooth headsets is still low; fewer than one in ten people have one globally, so there is still significant room for growth.
"As leading vendors no longer bundle wired headsets with new smartphones, we see great potential for Bluetooth headsets," he said.
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