Apple has apologised to customers for deliberately slowing the performance of older iPhone models without users’ consent. The US tech company also announced reduction in the cost of iPhone battery replacements, down from $79 to $29. Apple has further promised to provide better battery life transparency in future updates.
Apple is facing multiple lawsuits currently after Apple admitted to slowing down the iPhone 6, 6S, 7 and SE. iPhone owners have speculated Apple artificially slows down older phones to drive new sales. However, Apple said the problem was that ageing lithium batteries delivered power unevenly, which could cause iPhones to shut down unexpectedly – endangering the delicate circuits inside. The customers argue it was unethical of Apple to do such a thing without the user’s consent.
Apple hopes to correct this huge blunder by cutting the price of battery replacements for iphones by $50. Apple charged $79 to replace batteries not covered under the phone’s warranty. The price has now dropped down to $29. Apple, on their website where the public apology was made, also mentioned how batteries age. They have mentioned that slowing down phones with such old batteries is to prevent forced shutdowns. They have tried to justify their action in the name of providing the best user experience.
Apple has stated,”Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance. As always, our team is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.”
It remains to be seen how this issue plays out.
