iPhone 12 meets radiation exposure limits: Apple on French watchdog warning
The tech giant, which just launched iPhone 15 series, said it has independent third-party lab results that show that it complies with allSAR standards globally.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
LONDON: Apple has refuted claims made by France’s radiation watchdog (ANFR) that iPhone 12 breaches radiation exposure limits.
Apple said, in a statement, that iPhone 12 has been certified by several international regulators as compliant.
The tech giant, which just launched iPhone 15 series, said it has independent third-party lab results that show that it complies with all Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) standards globally.
Earlier, the ANFR released a public statement saying that the iPhone 12 breaches radiation levels, telling the company to temporarily halt iPhone 12 sales and release a fix. “The French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) is instructing Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market as of September 12, 2023, after the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limit for this model was exceeded,” the French agency said.
“ANFR enjoins Apple to implement all available means to rapidly remedy this malfunction. Failing this, Apple will be required to recall any units already sold,” it added.
The most common EU SAR limit of 2 W/kg represents an average over 10 g of tissue absorbing the most signal, reports TechCrunch. This limit is a bit higher than the FCC limit in the U.S. (1.6 W/kg).
Apple complies with this SAR limit. However, the ANFR measured an SAR of 5.74 W/kg, which is above the limit of 4 W/kg. France’s junior minister for telecommunications, Jean-Noel Barrot, told Le Parisien that Apple has some time to comply with French regulations before further action.
Apple bullish on India market with iPhone 15 launch
With iPhone 15, Apple has further made India a sweet spot in its future scheme of things - ‘Make in India’ devices to roll out on the global sale day (September 22), support for ISRO-made GPS called NavIC, and availability of new products in the country along with the global markets (which started last year) – as it doubles down on local manufacturing.
Driven by the premiumisation of the smartphone market, uptick in first-time users who are shifting from Android to the Apple ecosystem and a young population, India is now among the top five global markets for Apple - after China, the US, Japan. and the UK.
Apple set a June quarter record in India, driven by the robust sales of iPhones, according to its CEO Tim Cook. The tech giant opened its own-branded Mumbai and Delhi retail stores in the country in April this year, which met with great enthusiasm.
India is set to cross Rs 1,20,000 crore in mobile phone exports in the current fiscal year and according to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), Apple’s market share is set to exceed 50 per cent in FY24.
