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            iPhone 12 Sales Blocked in France over Radiation Levels

   Adam Engst

   [1]Reuters writes:

     Apple defended its iPhone 12 model on Wednesday after a French
     watchdog ordered a halt to its sales citing breaches of European
     Union radiation exposure limits.

     Apple said in a statement the iPhone 12, launched in 2020, was
     certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global
     radiation standards, that it had provided several Apple and
     third-party lab results proving the phone's compliance to the French
     agency, and that it was contesting its findings.

   Setting aside Apple's contention that the iPhone 12 does meet the EU
   standards, it's odd that France's Agence Nationale des Fréquences
   (ANFR) would focus on a three-year-old phone that is likely Apple's
   slowest-selling model, given that it is the oldest but not the
   cheapest. I see three possibilities:
     * Apple convinces ANFR to accept the existing certifications, or ANFR
       switches to a different testing methodology that agrees with
       Apple's results.
     * ANFR requires Apple to reduce the iPhone 12's power in a software
       update.
     * Apple stops iPhone 12 sales in Europe, directing price-sensitive
       buyers to the third-generation iPhone SE or the iPhone 13.

   The more interesting question is if newer iPhone models also exceed
   European standards under ANFR's testing approach, which Reuters said
   assumes direct skin contact without layers of cloth between the device
   and the user. That could force Apple to reduce the power of its
   cellular radios throughout Europe, potentially reducing iPhone call
   quality and data throughput.

   [2]Read original article

References

   1. https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-disputes-french-findings-says-iphone-12-complies-with-radiation-standards-2023-09-13/
   2. https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-disputes-french-findings-says-iphone-12-complies-with-radiation-standards-2023-09-13/

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