There aren’t many things that piss people off more than multinational corporations not being transparent with consumers, so it was a huge surprise that Apple – one of the most trusted brands in the world, deliberately slowed down batteries in older iPhone models without users’ consent. It was a huge boo-boo, and one that left fans rattled.
After a barrage of class-action lawsuits – eight in total, Apple has officially apologised in a statement that was posted on its website on Thursday (Dec 28), while offering slashed prices for battery replacements (US$79 to US$29), as well as a new software update that’ll allow users to properly monitor their phone batteries. Slowed down phones include the iPhone 6, 6S, 7, and SE.
“We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down,” Apple said in its posting. “We apologise.”
“First and foremost, we have never – and would never – do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.”
The battery issue came to light when Reddit users found that speed problems were rectified in their older iPhones when they simply replaced the batteries. The theory was confirmed by benchmarking firm Primate Labs, after an analysis of performance data confirmed the artificial limitation of the iPhone’s performance.
Apple’s explanation was that it had to slow down ageing lithium batteries, as they distributed power unevenly, and could cause iPhones to shutdown unexpectedly. That explanation obviously didn’t sit too well with people, some of whom accused Apple of purposely slowing down phones to encourage purchases of new ones.
While there is obviously no evidence to back that incredible claim up, it’s clear that Apple has to be a whole lot more upfront about how it conducts its business operations from now on, especially after this latest battery episode in the tech world, which has also seen Samsung users complain about faulty batteries.
For more information, visit apple.com.
Images: Apple
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