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Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

abc.net.au

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Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#51

Post by tomduncalf »

duncanawoods wrote: post #16
williamscales wrote: post #12

Can someone explain to me how this can reasonably be considered fraud? I don't think Apple makes any guarantees about the performance an iPhone will sustain over time.

Apple's strategy has been to sell devices in an unstable overclocked state with marketing based on benchmarks and then secretly downgrade to a stable configuration later in life. Its ultimately a bait and switch deception driven by fraudulent marketing.

Is Apple’s marketing driven by benchmarks? I don’t think it is. They rarely talk about concrete performance or specs and focus more on the user experiences the device enables. Might have missed some campaigns though!

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#52

Post by ako »

canuckintime wrote: post #19
simonbarker87 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Apple slowed the phone down upfront then people would complain that Apple were throttling as the user is “too dumb to look after their battery properly” so instead they are doing when they can point to a proven need to throttle the device. This feels like a no win situation for Apple unless they had/will put in “throttle my phone so it doesn’t go weird” switch in settings. Side note: we’ve known for years that ham…

> This feels like a no win situation for Apple... If Apple fucked up, why should there be a 'win' situation for them? The obvious solution would be Apple replacing the batteries for free. Instead Apple won't even let you pay them to replace the battery if it's not in EOL mode — despite throttling starting well before then.

Why should apple replace batteries for free? Do you expect a car company to replace car-batteries or tires for free?

Some components just wear and need to be replaced. Apple just provided a workaround that ensures your device doesn't crash due to the worn out component.

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#53

Post by watmough »

crypt1d wrote: post #48

As far as I'm concerned, this is a deal breaker. I've been an iOS user since 3GS and now I'm ready to jump ship. Apple has been disappointing me since few years now, and I've postponed migrating to Android mostly because I'm accustomed to its UX. But this is enough of a push for me to make an effort to give Android a try. I'm looking into Oneplus 5T and Pixel 2 XL. Any other suggestions?

For $500, the Essential Phone may be worth a look.

My wife seems pretty happy with hers.

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#54

Post by scarlac »

wojcikstefan wrote: post #47

Before iOS 11 my 3 year old iPhone 6 behaved perfectly fine. After the upgrade it's so painfully slow it's basically unusable. For example, the Messages app maintains a lag of a few characters when typing, the Camera app freezes for ~5 seconds every time you open it, each tap on the screen has a perceivable delay, etc. My battery life hasn't been a problem over the last 3 years and I have not experienced my phone ove…

> I do not believe Apple shipped the slowdown to "protect my battery"

So you believe they only slowed down your phone to have you buy a new phone and hoped not to get caught?

My GF and I were affected by the voltage issue on iPhone 6 & 6S. If Apple can fix it by limiting voltage, it will give a better experience. Alternative is literal data loss which I consider much worse. BUT: They do need to tell users about this slow down. This is where they made a mistake.

I don't see them reverting this change. I do see them paying a hefty fine for covertly downgrading, and being forced to inform their users of the downgrade. I do see them pushing software updates to refine the "battery management system" going forward.

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#55

Post by mch82 »

blocked_again wrote: post #36
izacus wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well but you DID buy another iPhone right? Apple got exactly what they wanted - you spending another 700$+ to replace a perfectly functional device after just a few years. The iPhone now goes to the garbage bin adding to pollution even though it can run the OS just fine without being crippled via update.

Holy shit. You people just throw away the old iPhone after buying a new one? That is a luxury almost no one in my country has. So weird that the people get to live the life on basis of how well the seed generator of Universe performed during their birth.

People in the United States aren't throwing away old iPhones. Apple has a recycling & buy back program, https://www.apple.com/recycling/. other companies also buy back old phones.

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#56

Post by abalone »

chipperyman573 wrote: post #2

I really like Linus' (Sebastian, not Torvalds) thoughts about this: https://youtu.be/TJUeHmdzSx4?t=11m22s Basically, Apple chose to tune the phones to run at a dangerously high configuration to increase benchmarks, knowing that the battery will degrade like this (and that when the iphone X2 comes out, nobody will be talking about this, instead they'll be talking about how much faster the X2 is than the X). His exact…

This is just sensationalist poorly sourced crap.

> "they are making these devices that it's difficult to replace the battery for..."

No. It's free under AppleCare and a whopping $79 out of warranty, and you can do it via mail.

> "they are running them so close to the redline that they can only handle it for a year"

No source cited for this. There is no indication that iPhones are regularly degrading beyond 80% within or shortly after one year.

> [compares to volkswagen emissions cheat]

Seems reasonable. :-/

It's ironic that this guy invokes the specter of benchmark cheating when Apple actually has been one of the only manufacturers that hasn't engaged in it.[1]

[1] https://www.xda-developers.com/benchmark-cheating-strikes-ba...

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#57

Post by scarlac »

duncanawoods wrote: post #16
williamscales wrote: post #12

Can someone explain to me how this can reasonably be considered fraud? I don't think Apple makes any guarantees about the performance an iPhone will sustain over time.

Apple's strategy has been to sell devices in an unstable overclocked state with marketing based on benchmarks and then secretly downgrade to a stable configuration later in life. Its ultimately a bait and switch deception driven by fraudulent marketing.

> Apple's strategy has been to sell devices in an unstable overclocked state

I can't confirm this in any way. Can you provide some links or at least an anecdote measurement on how your device was clearly overclocked?

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#58

Post by mch82 »

izacus wrote: post #35

Note that this goes well with Apple fighting against right to repair and 3rd party repairers - if they can make your phone slow over time and prevent you from cheaply and easily replacing the battery, they essentially force you to replace your pocket computer every two years or so - the pesky "iPad Upgrade Problem" disappears for them. I think we shouldn't look at this issue in isolation - Apple (earning bulk their m…

$79 for a replacement battery seems reasonable, https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-power

> If you're covered under AppleCare+, we'll replace your battery at no charge if it retains less than 80 percent of its original capacity.

> If your iPhone needs battery replacement and it’s not covered, the service fee is $79.

I agree that I wish it were easier to repair and upgrade Apple products.

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#59

Post by goldenkey »

crypt1d wrote: post #48

As far as I'm concerned, this is a deal breaker. I've been an iOS user since 3GS and now I'm ready to jump ship. Apple has been disappointing me since few years now, and I've postponed migrating to Android mostly because I'm accustomed to its UX. But this is enough of a push for me to make an effort to give Android a try. I'm looking into Oneplus 5T and Pixel 2 XL. Any other suggestions?

I have the Pixel 2 XL. Had the Pixel 1 XL before. Pixel 1 was great. But 2 is meh.. The screen quality is lackluster. The lack of a home button is annoying. Its not a great phone in terms of build quality especially for the high price. I dont know much about the OnePlus but I had a Galaxy Note beforehand and I absolutely loved it. Samsung has been making really great phones other than the battery explosion blip. If I was gonna buy a phone today Id probably buy a galaxy s or galaxy note.

Re: Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones

#60

Post by misja111 »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #6
chipperyman573 wrote: post #2

I really like Linus' (Sebastian, not Torvalds) thoughts about this: https://youtu.be/TJUeHmdzSx4?t=11m22s Basically, Apple chose to tune the phones to run at a dangerously high configuration to increase benchmarks, knowing that the battery will degrade like this (and that when the iphone X2 comes out, nobody will be talking about this, instead they'll be talking about how much faster the X2 is than the X). His exact…

If Apple slowed the phone down upfront then people would complain that Apple were throttling as the user is “too dumb to look after their battery properly” so instead they are doing when they can point to a proven need to throttle the device. This feels like a no win situation for Apple unless they had/will put in “throttle my phone so it doesn’t go weird” switch in settings. Side note: we’ve known for years that ham…

The obvious solution is that this should have been a user-configurable setting.
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