Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down aging iPhones • Hacker News Board

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

#111

Post by lern_too_spel » Wed, Dec 27, 2017, 7:14 PM UTC

goldenkey wrote: post #59

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…

Samsung's Nexus phones were the worst of the series. Samsung's own phones don't get monthly security updates, so I would avoid them.

Stick to Pixel or Android One devices if you're getting an Android phone. Blackberry and Nokia have promised fast updates as well.

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

#112

Post by lostmsu » Wed, Dec 27, 2017, 8:25 PM UTC

mmjaa wrote: post #61

ako wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Apple decided to not let the consumer have the choice or ability to swap their own batteries. They've painted themselves into a corner here - and I think they should pay for this, indeed. Its clear that these moves were made solely to maximise profit for Apple, not to protect the consumer and provide them the best-quality experience.

Why do you keep insisting there's a problem with a battery? There's no problem with the battery, it behaves like any other battery in any other phone. The problem is that phone's compute ability stops matching its advertised value soon after purchase.

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

#113

Post by ddlsmurf » Wed, Dec 27, 2017, 8:43 PM UTC

lostmsu wrote: post #112

mmjaa wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple decided to not let the consumer have the choice or ability to swap their own batteries. They've painted themselves into a corner here - and I think they should pay for this, indeed. Its clear that these moves were made solely to maximise profit for Apple, not to protect the consumer and provide them the best-quality experience.

Why do you keep insisting there's a problem with a battery? There's no problem with the battery, it behaves like any other battery in any other phone. The problem is that phone's compute ability stops matching its advertised value soon after purchase.

Because before apple came along, batteries were considered the consumable and were user replaceable. Now apple wants the whole phone to be the consumable. This not good for users nor the planet. Only people who would want a marginally thiner phone in exchange for buying a new one every year and apple's profit margins benefit.

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

#114

Post by alecthomas » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 12:03 AM UTC

garyrob wrote: post #93

alecthomas wrote: post #29

My wife and I both just upgraded our iPhone 6's because they became unusably slow after iOS 11. Prior to the upgrade they had been running fine with no issues. We tried many things including disabling all background app usage, full wipe and restore, etc. My wife eventually took hers into the Apple store and they said they didn't know why it was slowing down but that she shouldn't have upgraded and that there was noth…

Why not just replace the battery rather than get new phones? My iPhone 6's lightning port broke around the time iOS 11 appeared, so I used the insurance we had on it to get a replacement. The replacement was another iPhone 6, with a new battery. That new battery is working fantastically well for me under iOS 11. I have gotten through 2 days straight of use without a recharge. No exaggeration. It happened to be relati…

Because nothing was wrong with the batteries as far as we could tell, and Apple "support" didn't mention anything. That's the whole point of these law suits. Apple didn't tell consumers that a) their batteries were degraded or b) that performance would be dialled back to compensate. If people were told they would have just swapped batteries, as we would have. I'd much rather pay $150 for a new battery than $1000 for a new phone.

Prior to iOS 11 they still lasted all day, no random shutdowns, no issues at all. After iOS 11 the phone was slow as hell and the battery drained extremely quickly... the opposite of what you would expect given the recent revelations, but that's what we observed.

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

#115

Post by garyrob » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 1:17 AM UTC

alecthomas wrote: post #114

garyrob wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just replace the battery rather than get new phones? My iPhone 6's lightning port broke around the time iOS 11 appeared, so I used the insurance we had on it to get a replacement. The replacement was another iPhone 6, with a new battery. That new battery is working fantastically well for me under iOS 11. I have gotten through 2 days straight of use without a recharge. No exaggeration. It happened to be relati…

Because nothing was wrong with the batteries as far as we could tell, and Apple "support" didn't mention anything. That's the whole point of these law suits. Apple didn't tell consumers that a) their batteries were degraded or b) that performance would be dialled back to compensate. If people were told they would have just swapped batteries, as we would have. I'd much rather pay $150 for a new battery than $1000 for…

OK, makes sense. No indication that anything was wrong with the batteries before iOS 11, so why assume new batteries will help. It's strange though, because my experience, with a "new" replacement iPhone 6, is that iOS 11 works great for battery life. It's hard to understand, unless the replacement iPhone 6's they're making now have some difference compared to the old ones that has to do with battery life.

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

#116

Post by mygo » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 5:53 AM UTC

waterphone wrote: post #96

jackvalentine wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm one of the people defending Apple's charge for battery replacement as reasonable, but his point is it's actually a physically difficult thing to do, to replace the battery. It takes real skill to replace a modern iphone battery without ruining it. > "they are running them so close to the redline that they can only handle it for a year" As for this, he's citing the fact the iPhone 7 is affected - a phone that came…

It doesn't really take that much skill. I did it in 15 minutes for the first time with no advance reading/watching. The kits you can buy online come with a full set of tools and instructions.

when you have to open up your phone and void your warranty, or bring it to someone "certified" to work on Apple devices and show up for an appointment and pay extra just to replace a battery... when up until this smartphone era, replacing a battery was as simple as removing it from the back of a device and putting in a new one...

It's highly discouraging to replace an iPhone battery. Doesn't matter how much skill it takes. It appears daunting and unapproachable.

The average iPhone user needs a website like iFixIt just to feel confident enough to replace a battery on their own. Go back 10 years and replacing a battery on a device didn't require researching a 20-step guide, a community forum, and special tools.

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

#117

Post by lostmsu » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 7:20 AM UTC

ddlsmurf wrote: post #113

lostmsu wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you keep insisting there's a problem with a battery? There's no problem with the battery, it behaves like any other battery in any other phone. The problem is that phone's compute ability stops matching its advertised value soon after purchase.

Because before apple came along, batteries were considered the consumable and were user replaceable. Now apple wants the whole phone to be the consumable. This not good for users nor the planet. Only people who would want a marginally thiner phone in exchange for buying a new one every year and apple's profit margins benefit.

I fail to see why is it relevant to the current issue. Its not like you know 100% that if the battery would be swappable easily, they would suddenly decide to tell you instead of silently slowing the phones down.

Honestly, it feels like people, who have grudge on manufacturers for making non-swappable battery, just need an excuse to bring the swapping topic afloat.

It is also important not to affect any potential lawsuits against Apple by implying, that swapping batteries on affected phones would solve the problem. Because it would not: Apple should also cover damages to people, who had to buy new iPhones after being misguided.

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

#118

Post by blocked_again » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 7:53 AM UTC

ktta wrote: post #38

blocked_again wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Welcome to the concept of inequality. Most people in the world don't have the access to internet you have. And I would imagine some would say "Holy shit. You people browse message boards? I would rather spend that time on a MOOC". While it is weird looking at the affluence scale above, it is very depressing looking what's at the bottom of the scale. I don't mean to chastise you. It is just a realization I've come to.

I am aware of it. I was not complaining but just amused. If you think about it there is no way the Universe could have existed if it was not for the randomness or inequality :)

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

#119

Post by goldenkey » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 8:59 AM UTC

on_and_off wrote: post #108

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?

Got a Pixel 2 XL, I can easily recommend it. Great Phone !

I have the Pixel 2 XL and think it is a terrible phone. The screen quality is absolutely garrish and it doesn't even dim to an appreciable level when using it at night.

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

#120

Post by goldenkey » Thu, Dec 28, 2017, 9:00 AM UTC

time0ut wrote: post #70

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 made the jump to Pixel 2 (not XL) a couple weeks ago after being a long time iOS user. I mostly used Google services already, so the transition was very smooth. The Android UX is very good and easy to get used to.

The screen quality is quite garrish though, wouldn't you say?