Let’s talk no bundled iPhone chargers, Apple AR glass concepts, and more

No more chargers bundled with iPhones? Depending on who you are, that can be good or bad.

Another week has passed, and even though each day and each week, feels like an eternity these days with everything burning all around us, I hope all of you in the US were able to have a nice, relaxing three-day weekend. Honestly, I miss WWDC week like no other, because it was one of the better weeks out of the, well, year, but let's get down to business.

As with every year, the months leading up to the traditional fall iPhone event are always a whirlwind of rumors, and this is no exception. The latest rumor going around right now is that the iPhone 12 will not come with a charger in the box, and maybe not even earbuds either. This is quite a divisive rumor.

Honestly, as someone who has owned a new iPhone pretty much every year since it debuted, I say good riddance. I pretty much use a charging adapter until it no longer works, which can be several years, so I've honestly accrued quite a collection of chargers around the house. Heck, I haven't even used the faster-charging adapter that came with the iPhone 11 Pro yet — I took it out of the box, but it's been sitting in my tech bag for that time when I do "need" it, even though I tend to just use a battery pack when I'm out and about instead of looking for an outlet. I also end up buying other charging adapters that have multiple ports so that I can charge multiple devices at once, especially those that have both USB-A and USB-C and higher output capacities.

But I know that I'm not the average person, and there are still first-time iPhone buyers who would appreciate having a charger come in the box. Our own Stephen Warwick wrote a lengthy editorial about the benefits of not having a charger and earbuds in the box, as well as offering some alternative options. If you haven't already given that a read, I suggest you do so.

I think maybe Apple having an add-on section for a charger or earbuds when purchasing an iPhone would be a good option — give people the choice. I have enough clutter around the house and certainly don't need more chargers that I'm not going to use, but someone else can appreciate having a charger or some EarPods thrown in. Either way, I suppose we won't find out until the fall.

Another thing that popped up in the past week is the new "Path to Apple Card" program that Apple launched. This program guides declined applicants of Apple Card on how they can get approved later down the road. This is quite a surprise, and honestly, I think stuff like this should become a standard in the credit card industry as a whole. A lot of people apply for credit cards but get declined, and the reasons for the decline are always vague. With something like Path to Apple Card, it helps people understand how to build better credit because let's face it — that stuff isn't always clear. I've had Apple Card since last year, and I love seeing Apple continue to shake things up in the credit card world.

Now, I am pretty sure that we're still a ways off from Apple coming out with AR glasses, but a new concept video came out that makes me want more. This video shows off some concepts that I've been dreaming of for years, such as virtual swiping and gesturing, a HUD that displays turn-by-turn directions right in front of you, ambient light sensing, and more. This is all just a concept, but it's a pretty darn good one. If Apple does make smart glasses, then I hope it comes close to this concept. A girl can dream, can't she?

Oh, and if you have Disney+, then I hope you have checked out Hamilton, or are planning to. I doubt that I'll ever be able to see the Broadway show, so I'm eager to watch the movie version. It's perfect for the long weekend!

And that's it for this week, folks! Signing off.

- Christine Romero-Chan