According to a new report, Apple has begun phasing out its slow 5W charger in several countries including Italy, France, Germany, and more. This could seemingly be the end of this charge’s era, one that has gone on for more than a decade.
Apple’s outdated 5W charger is no longer available in France, Italy, Spain, China, and more
The discontinuation of the 5W charger was first spotted by the Japanese blog Mac Otakara. The publication notes that Apple’s 5W charger is currently sold out on the tech giant’s online store in the region. In addition to the charger being removed from Apple’s online store in Japan, it has also been removed in Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, and several other countries (via MacRumors).
Though it has been removed in some countries, the $19 5W charger continues to be sold in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, and other countries around the globe.
Apple’s first ultra-compact 5W charger was first included in the box of the iPhone 3G in 2008. The tech giant went on release other adapters over the years but its outdated 5W power adapter was still included in the box with many different iPhone models such as the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, the iPhone XR, and the second-generation iPhone SE. The issue with this adapter is that it does not support fast charging since it features a USB-A port.
Luckily, this trend changed with the iPhone 11 Pro, which came with a faster 18W USB-C charger. Later on, Apple Apple stopped providing power adaptors and EarPods in the box starting with the iPhone 12 lineup in 2020. The move was made as a part of Apple’s commitment to becoming 100% carbon neutral by 2030.
Not only did the decision to stop providing adapters and EarPods in the box help to reduce electronic waste but the slimmer packaging means more boxes per shipment and fewer shipments overall.
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