Apple Watch Series 6 will ship without an important accessory

Apple Watch Series 6 was the headliner of today's reveal event, and while Apple spent a lot of time talking about the smartwatch's new features and hardware, it also made something of a surprising reveal. In an effort to cut back on electronic waste, Apple says that the Apple Watch Series 6 will ship without a rather important accessory in the box: the AC adapter.

The news came shortly after pricing for the Apple Watch Series 6 was announced today, and it was part of a larger segment about Apple's efforts to be more environmentally friendly. The company expects to be 100% carbon neutral by 2030, and on an Apple Newsroom post about the Apple Watch Series 6, we see a footnote that claims there are a number of recycled materials the new smartwatch, including "100 percent recycled rare earth elements in the Taptic Engine, nearly 100 percent recycled tungsten throughout the product, and a 100 percent recycled case on aluminum models."

That footnote continues, "Apple is also helping the environment by removing the AC adapter that could become electronic waste from Apple Watch Series 6 packaging, and helping its Apple Watch manufacturing partners transition to renewable energy."

It seems Apple is counting on Apple Watch Series 6 buyers to already have some way to charge their watch on-hand. Indeed, it does seem unlikely that someone would be purchasing the Apple Watch Series 6 as their very first Lightning-based Apple device, though there's still no getting around the fact that not shipping a charger in the box is inconvenient.

Of course, Apple sells chargers separately, so if you pick up an Apple Watch Series 6 and discover you need a charger to go along with it, you can still get one. Again though, that isn't exactly ideal when we're used to our smart devices shipping with a charger in the box. Assuming the missing charger isn't a dealbreaker for you, you'll be able to buy an Apple Watch Series 6 later this week with a starting price of $399.