The Case of Apple’s Disappearing Chargers (AKA Yet More Greed)

Do you live in the EU or the UK? Have you tried getting your hands on Apple’s latest and greatest 14-inch, M5 chip-powered MacBook Pro? Notice anything different?

If you’re an old hat at ordering Macs from Apple, you might not have noticed it, and would only have had a shock realisation as you opened the box when it got home: there’s no power charger.

This isn’t a mistake. Despite laptops still needing chargers to function - even Apple ones - it’s entirely by design.

Let’s explore why this is, why this is only occurring in most of Europe – for now – and why I think Apple are deceptively using this to make even more money.

Don't get me wrong, I still think the MacBook Pro is the best Apple option when looking for a laptop for CAD; and it is the absolute best laptop for graphic designers. But that's not really the point...

A Little Background

You see, a new law has been passed by the EU - which the UK are adopting - known as, EU Radio Equipment Directive (Directive 2022/2380). Put simply, it states that consumers must be given the option of ordering electronics without a charger if they don’t need one, to reduce waste.

The idea being that you most likely already have a charger in your home, and since the electronics world seems to be standardising on USB-C to charge devices - again, a good thing in my opinion - then you can save yourself a bob or two by purchasing a new machine without a charger.

You save some money, you save the world by not buying something you don’t need, win-win, right?

The Apple Way

Except Apple thought they’d do it the Apple way… and the Apple way is really starting to feel like grubby penny pinching to this old, and increasingly disgruntled, Apple fan.

You see, the directive is clear: consumers should have the option of ordering a computer without a charger. But without even making it clear that that’s what they’re going, Apple are offering you the option of buying a computer with a charger. See the difference? Not having a charger is now the default for Apple’s newest laptops.

What’s the big deal, I hear you ask.

Well it comes down to greed. It always does.

How much does a base model M5 14” MacBook Pro without a charger cost in the UK (my proving grounds)? £1,599.

How much did the previous M4 model with a charger cost? £1,599.

Cashing In

See what they did? They used this well-meaning directive to charge you for what used to be included. Instead of saving you money, what used to be free, now costs extra. Either £60 or £80 depending on the charger you’re after.

How is this acceptable?

How can they justify using a directive designed to save you some money, to charge you more? Worst still, it’s not completely clear a charger isn’t included by default anymore, because up to now, chargers have always been included, and they still are with the M4 Pro and M4 Max laptops, so why would it not be for the M5, right? This means that if you need a charger and you didn’t realise you had to add it to your order, you’ll have to place a second order just to get that missing charger delivered to you - or drive to a store to buy one in person (does anyone still do that?), which will lead to more pollution and more waste, all because their insatiable greed was just a little too subtle this time.

I remember when Apple prided itself with being energy efficient, focused on recycling, looking after the planet, all that good stuff. Now they’re charging you more for the privilege of buying less.