Facing lawsuits and consumer outrage after it said it slowed older iPhones with flagging batteries, Apple Inc is slashing prices for battery replacements and will change its software to show users whether their phone battery is good.
In a posting on its website, Apple apologised over its handling of the battery issue and said it would make a number of changes for customers “to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions.”
Apple made the move to address concerns about the quality and durability of its products at a time when it is charging $999 for its newest flagship model, the iPhone X.
The company said it would cut the price of an out-of-warranty battery replacement from $79 to $29 for an iPhone 6 or later, starting next month. The company also will update its iOS operating system to let users see whether their battery is in poor health and is affecting the phone’s performance.
“We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down,” Apple said in its posting. “We apologise.”
On December 20, Apple acknowledged that iPhone software has the effect of slowing down some phones with battery problems. Apple said the problem was that aging lithium batteries delivered power unevenly, which could cause iPhones to shutdown unexpectedly to protect the delicate circuits inside.
That disclosure played on a common belief among consumers that Apple purposely slows down older phones to encourage customers to buy newer iPhone models. While no credible evidence has ever emerged that Apple engaged in such conduct, the battery disclosure struck a nerve on social media and elsewhere.
Apple on Thursday denied that it has ever done anything to intentionally shorten the life of a product.
At least eight lawsuits have been filed in California, New York and Illinois alleging that the company defrauded users by slowing devices down without warning them. The company also faces a legal complaint in France, where so-called “planned obsolesce” is against the law.
In France, the association Stop Planned Obsolescence (HOP or Halte a l’Obsolescence Programme) said it had filed a complaint against Apple after the company admitted to intentionally slowing down its iPhones as they age.
“Apple has put in place a global program of planned obsolescence with a view to increasing its sales,” the association said in a statement issued.
The very active group hailed a breakthrough in a separate case against printer manufacturers Epson when prosecutors opened a probe into Epson over claims that it was tricking consumers into changing ink cartridges before they were empty.
“It’s very good news. For the first time in France and to our knowledge in the world, judicial authorities of a country have taken up a case of planned obsolescence,” the association’s lawyer, Emile Meunier, told AFP.
Apple knew they would get sued over this but still kept it in the dark. Totally their fault.
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