Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Officially Launches Third-Party USB Charger Takeback Program in 30 Countries
With Apple's USB Power Adapter Takeback Program officially launching yesterday, the company has now posted prices for additional participating regions, boosting the number of countries where consumers may trade-in a third-party USB charger for a discount on an official Apple charger (via 9to5Mac). While Apple originally expanded plans for the program last month to countries beyond the United States and China with seven additional countries, the recent move brings the amount of countries supported by the program to 30.
Apple is maintaining separate information pages for several countries involved in the program, while pricing in the bulk of the countries is summarized on a separate "other countries" page.
First introduced last month following the electrocution of a Chinese woman using a counterfeit iPhone charger, the recycling initiative is designed to allow iOS users to safely replace and dispose of questionable third-party power adapters.
Under the terms of the program, Apple will accept and recycle any third-party charger at any Apple Retail Store or participating Apple Authorized Service Provider, and will also provide an authentic charger for $10 in the United States, a $9 discount from Apple's regular pricing.
Apple is maintaining separate information pages for several countries involved in the program, while pricing in the bulk of the countries is summarized on a separate "other countries" page.
First introduced last month following the electrocution of a Chinese woman using a counterfeit iPhone charger, the recycling initiative is designed to allow iOS users to safely replace and dispose of questionable third-party power adapters.
Under the terms of the program, Apple will accept and recycle any third-party charger at any Apple Retail Store or participating Apple Authorized Service Provider, and will also provide an authentic charger for $10 in the United States, a $9 discount from Apple's regular pricing.
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77 months ago
Yes, because listening to you is how best to run a company.
He doesn't state that, does he?
I think he's right, but yeah, we should really keep our opinions to ourselves on a forum.
Actually, only Apple employees should be allowed to speak here.
Glassed Silver:mac
77 months ago
Just reduce it's regular price to $10.
Yes, because listening to you is how best to run a company.
77 months ago
So a bunch of cheapos go buy a cheap chinese adaptors and Apple has to replace them?
What nonsense. Those people deserve to have their phones blow up in their face for their cheapness.
What nonsense. Those people deserve to have their phones blow up in their face for their cheapness.
77 months ago
If the regular price of the Apple adapters was $10 they never would have had this issue to begin with...
77 months ago
I wonder if we will see a similar scheme with Macbook chargers? £50 is simply too much for some people, especially when the fake ones cost £15..
The problem is the _fake_ chargers. Apple builds nice chargers that take the smallest possible space. It is hard to build a safe charger that fits into a small space. It is much easier to build a safe charger that is big, bulky and ugly. It isn't difficult to build a big, bulky, ugly, and safe charger that sells for £15.
Of course it doesn't look like an Apple charger. So it doesn't appeal to people who want to pay £15 for something that _might_ be a real MacBook charger.
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If the regular price of the Apple adapters was $10 they never would have had this issue to begin with...
Because nobody would buy a fake charger for $5 to save $5...
77 months ago
The reason they are doing this, is properly because there is missing sufficient protection in the phone, against being electrocuted in the first place. Putting xxx volt into the phone, should not cause the case to turn a into people zapper.
The phone doesn't become a "people zapper". The charger is what kills people. You don't need a phone connected to the charger, it will do that all by itself. In the case where a woman in China was killed, it was the charger killing her on its own.
Seriously, if you think that Apple or anyone else can build a phone that will protect you if the charger delivers 220 Volts, you should go back to your old school and ask your old physics teacher to explain that whole electricity thing to you, because you clearly didn't pay attention the first time.
The issue isn’t even unauthorized 3rd party chargers themselves. It’s ones sold in countries where piracy is rampant and consumer safety isn’t. China isn’t the biggest iPhone market, but this hasn’t happened in the United States, which is.
There are plenty of chargers on eBay in the UK that I wouldn't trust. Plenty that look very much like Apple chargers except they have printed "designed by California" or "made by Appel" or similar nonsense on them.
77 months ago
A great gesture? You've got to be kidding.
It's a $4 part that Apple retails for a "screw the customer-they won't mind" $20!
So they lower the price in a self serving move designed to keep their profits flowing and you are impressed?
How very very sad. Clueless & sad.
I'm pretty sure iPhone chargers don't result in much profit for the multibillion dollar company, so that's not why they price them the way they do.
Supply and demand says people will pay $20 for their chargers. Why would they charge less? Why would any company charge less than what people will pay for their things? They have no obligation to offer their chargers for less, and therefore this is a very nice gesture on their part.
And regardless, is $20 for a tiny well-designed charger really that expensive? One comes in the box, so it'd be a spare anyway. Nobody is forcing you to buy one.
77 months ago
A great gesture? You've got to be kidding.
It's a $4 part that Apple retails for a "screw the customer-they won't mind" $20!
So they lower the price in a self serving move designed to keep their profits flowing and you are impressed?
How very very sad. Clueless & sad.
Can you show us the links to the accounting documents that show how Apple's R&D, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, marketing, regulatory, legal, support and warranty costs boil down to a $4 part?
You obviously have this inside information. Perhaps if you shared it with the rest of us we would know how badly we're being screwed over.
And yes, BTW. I think it's a very impressive PR and customer service move by Apple. They found a very customer friendly way of telling people, "Since you were stupid enough to risk the integrity of your $700+ device, and your life in order to save a couple of bucks we're going to give you an opportunity to bail yourself out with minimal pain."
77 months ago
For the naysayers
For those who think Apple are robbing people blind by making their chargers so expensive - a couple of very informative articles with tear-downs of Apple and third party chargers comparing the quality:
http://www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html (http://www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html)
http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html (http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html)
Clearly a lot of R&D investment has gone into these little packages, no the components may not be worth $20 in themselves but these articles show it's not just the cost of components we're talking about.
For those who think Apple are robbing people blind by making their chargers so expensive - a couple of very informative articles with tear-downs of Apple and third party chargers comparing the quality:
http://www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html (http://www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html)
http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html (http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html)
Clearly a lot of R&D investment has gone into these little packages, no the components may not be worth $20 in themselves but these articles show it's not just the cost of components we're talking about.
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