We have dedicated more than one story over Apple’s (and Samsung’s) choice to ship the iPhone 12 and 13 series of devices sans charger and now some students in China are suing the company over it.

More specifically the lack of charger on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which was last year’s top of the line Apple smartphone.

Added to this was the fact that the USB Type-C to Lightning cable that shipped in the box with the iPhone 12 Pro Max not being compatible with unrecognised chargers, leaving some students unable to charge their newly purchased device.

The student plaintiffs also argued against Apple’s claims that the push to remove chargers was in the name of sustainability, but rather a marketing ploy to get consumers to buy into the MagSafe technology that debuted alongside the iPhone 12 last year.

While the secondary argument is certainly up for debate, we must admit that the students’ frustrations over a lack of charger is easy to empathise with, especially as Apple accessories are quite expensive, not to mention that those new to the ecosystem would add onto their original purchase in order to use the device.

As Vice notes, the case is still ongoing with no outcome reached at this stage. It is also unclear what will happen should the students be successful with its lawsuit, outside of simple compensation. This as Apple changing its entire packaging strategy over a small lawsuit, look slim to none at this stage.

It will therefore take a regulatory authority like the European Commission to make the Cupertino-based firm acquiesce. The organisation is already threatening to impact the use of Lightning cables, so including chargers in future iPhone packaging may be next on its agenda.

Either way salute these brave students who have taken a stand against a big tech firm over an issue that smacks more of cash grabbing than environmental agendas.