- In 2017, Apple was accused of slowing down its old iPhones
- The firm had claimed to want to preserve the battery
- Today, a British consumer association is demanding 2 billion dollars
In 2017, several iPhone users point the finger at the Cupertino company. In question ? The old models of the Apple brand would be intentionally slowed down by the new updates. Apple then admitted that older iPhones were only slowed down to preserve their battery and prevent them from shutting down unexpectedly during peak usage.
After six years, Apple still has to make that decision. Indeed, in recent years, the Cupertino company has faced several lawsuits for planned obsolescence, particularly in France. It is on the other side of the Channel that the company of Tim Cook has problems today.
Indeed, Reuters reports that a British consumer association accuses Apple of having “hid faulty batteries in millions of iPhones by tweaking them with software updates”. If the accusation is proven, then Apple would have to pay a $2 billion fine.
Unfounded accusations according to Apple
If the company has admitted that the old iPhone suffered a certain slowdown to preserve their battery, Apple completely refutes the accusations of the British consumer association. The brand explains that the batteries of its old iPhones were not defective. Except for a few for some iPhone 6S, which Apple offered to replace for free.
Apple goes on to say that the performance throttling highlighted in 2017 only affected iPhones with old batteries or models with very low battery levels. In any case, these changes were barely noticeable to users. Performance was only reduced by 10% on average.
It remains to be seen what the British courts will decree. At present, the consumer association carried by Justin Gutmann and Apple are waiting to know if the complaints are admissible. If the appeal is accepted, the Cupertino company is liable to a fine of 2 billion dollars… Without interest.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Apple has been ordered to pay for this controversy. Indeed, the company has already paid several million dollars to calm things down in the United States as well as in France, without necessarily acknowledging its responsibility.
