One of the news at Apple’s September event was that the company will no longer be including a power adapter in the Apple Watch box. The decision to stop shipping the power adapter with the Watch is part of the company’s investment in environmental and climate issues, based on the theory that many customers already own chargers.
Apple says “As part of our effort to meet our environmental goals, Apple Watch does not include a power adapter. Please use your existing power adapter or add a new one before you check out.”
Therefore it should be no surprise that the power adapter is no longer shipped with the newest models – including the more expensive models Apple Watch Edition and Apple Watch Hermès.
The surprise is that until very recently these two more expensive models had included a 5 watt power adapter, as noted by Macrumours.
If you want to get an Apple Watch 6 or Apple Watch SE and do not already have a power adapter, you must not forget to add a power adapter separately when ordering.
- The Apple Watch 5W USB Power Adapter (order one here for US and here for UK costs £19/$19, but this is the older USB standard.
There are also compatible Power Adapters available that have USB C, but the charging cable that comes in the box with the Apple Watch is the older standard.
There is also no power adapter included with the iPhone 12 either – or the XR, 11 or SE from now on. Here are details on which power adapter plug you need for the iPhone.
In related news, the EU has voted on a “Right to repair” bill that will avoid unnecessary electronic waste.
Read the latest information about the iPhone 12 here.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.