A few weeks ago I learned about the Apple recall of their (”impossibly small” as Steve Jobs would say) iPhone 3G USB power adapter. Apparently the prongs are at risk of separating from the adapter and becoming lodged in electrical outlets. I filled out the form online and today the replacement adapter arrived.
However, this post isn’t about the actual recall. It’s about how Apple doesn’t know how to be green, not to mention save money. I found Apple’s boxing extremely superfluous and they shipped it FedEx 2 day. Kind of a waste if you ask me.
Come on Apple, you could have sent this in an envelope!
Foreground: Apple’s new power adapter. Background: the recalled adapter.
As for what the letter reads, it asks people to send back the recalled power adapter within 10 business days or risk being charged a non-return fee in the amount described “at the time of order confirmation.”
That is all.
Have you applied for a replacement adapter?
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
I saw @gomeler ’s twitpic of his.
epic fail.
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It’s not as much of a fail as designing one adapter for a single market and leaving the others with the rubbish from years ago.
My adapter must be about three times the size of this (UK).
Or, you’re lucky if you decide to visit other countries and will be able to just swap the tips out. Yeah, the new one is freaking sweet, but isn’t as functional…and the old one isn’t _that_ big, seriously.
I’m glad I still have my original iPhone’s charger for that very reason. I can use my apple worldwide power adapter tips.
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I tweeted about this a few days ago. An Apple rep saw my tweet and emailed me concerning this. They used those boxes because they fit a wide range of apple products, and apple plans to re use them after people ship back the recalled power adapters in that same box.
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I am just going to go down to the Apple Store this weekend and do a return that way. I could’ve gone the mail route, but I need to pick up some stuff while I’m at the store anyways.
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Interesting, but if what ATLChris said was right, then sounds like it’s still legitimate.
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I hope that is true, that the boxes are reused. But the thing is that with such small adapters in these boxes is that fedex is ringing it up as 1lb and Apple must be paying a ton to fly them via 2 day.. still kinda inefficient.
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I tried doing the exchange at the North Point Mall Apple store this afternoon but they had no idea how to do the exchange on adapters that weren’t purchased with an iPhone since they needed to tie the exchange to a serial number.
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Impossibly small charger in incredibly big box . . .
I just got an iPhone 3G and was worried I might have to send it to Apple for replacement, but after checking out your photos, I realized that the charger I have is quite different from yours. I hope mine is safe.
It’s pretty funny and weird that Apple would ship a charger in such a big box. Let’s hope the excuse @chris mentioned isn’t just an excuse.
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It is a bit overkill. It does seem stupid that Apple haven’t mirrored the design for other countries. I expected them too, surely it couldn’t be that hard to make a three pronged version for the UK.
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bogus.
1) we use those same boxes for parts exchange and they get reused
when the replaced part comes back to us. so totally possible.
2) you got to know that apple will get a bulk shipping rate for this.
(we sure do)
3) exchanged the one for my personal iphone last night.
they never took my serial number, but it was a quick and easy exchange
at one of the four local apple stores.
Yeah, the packaging they sent my bluetooth keyboard was ridiculous too.
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I applied for my replacement a few days after it was posted, haven’t received the new one yet.
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Always good to know that even when Apple goes out of it’s way to make it easy to exchange defective product that someone will figure out how to complain.
Really is your life that boring that you have nothing to bitch about so you decide on this. I got my replacement and returned my old one that is it. Nothing to complain about!
Of all the companies out there that don’t know how to be green, I don’t think it’s fair to characterize Apple as one of them. They’ve reduced the packaging size of every one of their shipping items to what is arguably the bare minimum needed for safely delivering an item to your door.
While the replacement adapter does look like it could have been shipped in a smaller container, there are other factors at work, like the minimum size a shipper recommends you use. Id bet that Apple worked with whoever the shipper is to provide the smallest box they felt they could ship & track.
I find it hard to understand how a recall that only required you to fill in some fields online and press SUBMIT, and a couple of weeks later delivered a new adapter to your door that works as advertised is a FAIL.
Hey does anyone know how I can check if my adapter is affected? I just got my iPhone earlier this week
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Edit: Found the page on apple.com; http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter/exchangeprogram/?sr=hotnews?sr=hotnews.rss
You’re good if your adapter has a green dot on it :-)
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Jesus Christ, that thing can in a recyclable box and you did NOT pay for the shipping! GET OVER IT!
Didn’t bother getting the new adapter as I’ve plugged in the adapter and will leave it there permanently to charge my iphone. If I need to charge the iPhone anywhere else, I’ll just take the usb cable out of the charger and use my macbook.
What if I don’t send back the old adapter to Apple?
@Zeljko “risk being charged a non-return fee in the amount described “at the time of order confirmation.” “
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@Paul Stamatiou And what if I don’t have credit card?
I believe you always have one tied to your iTunes/Apple account that you used to request a replacement adapter sent to you. Or if not, they’ll send you a bill and collect..
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I don’t have cc tied with itunes. I’m from Europe. I bought iphone on ebay from USA. So I just ordered to my friends address in US. I hope he will not have any bills or something?
I did the online exchange back in September and have still not received the replacement. I looked around on Apple’s support pages and didn’t find anything useful. I tried to do it again and of course, it told me they already exchanged the adaptor for that iphone serial number.
I ordered a couple days ago, and received adaptor tomorrow.
Overnight shipping :)
Just to let you know Apple was not charging anyone for the replacement of the defective adapter, even if you did not return the bad one. That was just the standard paperwork that goes out with all part shipments.
Yeah I still haven’t gone to the mall to switch it out; too lazy. But I hope that’s the last thing Apple will recall for the iPhone 3G.
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I ended up taking mine to the Apple Store, and they took the old adapter back. Should have done it by mail.
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The box in the pictures doesn’t look to me like it has been used before