Apple Says Sorry For Slowing Down iPhones, Battery Replacements For iPhone 6 & Later Reduced To $29
After the controversy about how Apple slowed down older iPhone models to force customers to upgrade, the Silicon Valley giant issued an official statement to apologize to its disgruntled customers. In a statement issued on Friday, December 28, through the official Apple site, the company clarified the issue stating they “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.”
Apple went on to explain their goals and issue a better explanation of how batteries age. To win over the good graces of their loyal customers, the company will also reduce the price of battery replacement for iPhone 6 and later versions from $79 to $29. The $50 discount will be available by next year from late January through December 2018. Apple also promised another iOS software upgrade early next year to allow users to see the state of their battery’s health.
Apple Clarifies Issue Of Slowing Down iPhones
Apple admitted that they released a software upgrade to slow down the performance of iPhone 6, 6S, 6 Plus, 6S Plus, and iPhone SE. The said upgrade will prevent the device from shutting down unexpectedly.
After news of how Apple slowed down batteries circulated, iPhone users filed lawsuits against the company. The lawsuits claimed they would have had replaced their batteries instead of upgrading their device had they known about this.
In response to this issue, Apple clarified how they delivered iOS 10.2.1 upgrade to manage the iPhone’s performance. The upgrade may be unnoticeable on some devices but it may cause reduced performance and longer launch times in others. They also revealed that an upgrade for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus through iOS 11.2 had the same function.
In their statement, Apple clarified that performance went back to normal upon battery replacement. The company also emphasized how they feel about unexpected shutdowns.
We don’t want any of our users to lose a call, miss taking a picture or have any other part of their iPhone experience interrupted if we can avoid it.
Apple Extends An Olive Branch To Customers
Based on the feedback from Apple’s customers, problems with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S lie with the battery, not on bugs or temporary performance impact after upgrading to a new software. Apple believes most of their customers with complaints about the performance of their devices are still using the original battery and the issue exists due to the chemical aging of the batteries.
To address these issues, Apple will offer battery replacements at only $29. Out-of-warranty battery replacements are currently offered at $79, but Apple will offer a $50 discount in 2018 starting in late January until December. The company promised that additional details will be available on the Apple website.
Apple apologizes for slowing down iPhones; Tim Cook gets a raise https://t.co/G15ADUV5kW pic.twitter.com/DGMOjMvYzj
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 29, 2017
In addition, Apple will have an iOS upgrade so users can tell if performance issues are due to the battery’s condition. Despite the recent controversies with the company, CBS News reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook will get a raise due to the bump in sales and profits this year.
