Batterygate returns as Apple must defend throttling
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badgolferman@21:1/5 to
All on Thu Nov 2 15:19:59 2023
Back in 2016, owners of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and
iPhone 6s Plus complained that their phones were shutting down after
asking them to handle a task that required the processor to do heavy
lifting. This was blamed on the weaker batteries that these models had.
Apple sent out an update in January 2017, iOS 10.2.1, that was designed
to throttle the CPUs of the aforementioned iPhone models that were
shutting down. Thanks to the throttling, the batteries on these
handsets no longer had to struggle to deliver the necessary power to
the processor.
However, the throttling was noticed by some iPhone users who accused
Apple of slowing down the devices on purpose in order to generate sales
of new iPhones. In a letter written by CEO Tim Cook in December 2017,
Apple apologized and addressed the concern that it was practicing
planned obsolescence by saying that it would never do anything to
shorten the lives of its products. And Apple reduced the cost of
replacing an iPhone battery for all of 2018 by 63%.
Lawsuits ensued and Apple added the Battery Health feature with iOS
11.3 in 2018 to help iPhone users monitor the health of their battery.
Now, years after Batterygate earned its name, legal action is coming to
the U.K. Per Sky News, Justin Gutmann, a U.K. consumer rights advocate,
was given the green light by a judge to continue a class action suit
against Apple on behalf of over 25 million U.K. iPhone users who had
their devices throttled without their knowledge.
The models affected include the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s,
iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus. Gutmann accuses
Apple of taking advantage of its dominating market share to try and get
owners of the aforementioned models to buy new iPhones or new
batteries. Should Apple lose the case, all U.K. consumers who owned one
of the affected models will receive compensation. As you might expect,
Apple calls the suit "baseless."
In the U.S., the most recent legal action related to Batterygate took
place this past August when a judge approved a settlement between Apple
and the plaintiffs in a class action suit. Apple agreed to pay $500
million which represents a payment of about $65 for each member of the
class.
--
"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always
oppressive." ~ Thomas Jefferson
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