It seems like OEMs are becoming brave enough to stop bundling a USB charging cable in their phone’s packaging.

  • Maeve@kbin.earth
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    19 hours ago

    That said, one thing that OEMs never say out publicly is that they are also saving a ton of money by retaining their device’s price tag and still ditching accessories in the process.

    I guessed so.

    • golli@sopuli.xyz
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      18 hours ago

      But wouldn’t it be equally valid to frame it the other way around that so far we have paid for them to be included, whether we like it or not?

      I mean the price to manufacture them doesn’t change and companies werent charities before either.

      Feels like in a functioning market this should just sort itself out. At least if it is transparent whether the phone includes accessories or not. People could factor this into their pricing decision.


      The more interesting argument imo is the one another comment in this thread made, that this way miss match between phone and charger/cable capabilities might happen. Which seems like a double edged sword. One the one hand manufacturers can advertise great charging speeds and people might not realize that only expensive chargers might be able to achieve those. On the other hand as the comment points out customers might not get the expected performance leading to frustration and negative associations with the particular brand.

      • Maeve@kbin.earth
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        17 hours ago

        But wouldn’t it be equally valid to frame it the other way around that so far we have paid for them to be included, whether we like it or not?

        But then you have it. Sell it, put it in another room, give it away. They should lower the phone price by the amount of whatever they charge for the charger. They should also give buyers the option to have it included or not, especially in this economy.

        • atrielienz@lemmy.world
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          15 hours ago

          I’m honestly not sure (given the price the cable likely adds to the price of the device vs the quality/longevity of the cable) that I want it. Apple has been notorious for selling their charging cables at a premium while making them basically as cheaply as possibly. Other companies have literally made their brand on being better than the OEM cables and chargers you get with devices.

          Other phone manufacturers aren’t exempt from the phone cable failure thing either. It’s crazy to me that they were allowed to sell such shoddy accessories in the first place.

          When you add in the ways that countries are trying to cut down on e-waste I can’t say I’m surprised.