A little more than a week ago, Apple had admitted that it was intentionally slowing down older iPhone models. According to the tech giant, it was doing so in order to prevent battery problems (and potentially worse issues later on). By slowing down earlier models, the company was basically keeping them from shutting down randomly, especially when they are not sufficiently charged, or used in lower temperatures.
Not surprisingly, a lot of iOS mobile users were not too happy with the information. While it is true that there are plenty of conspiracy theories about phone makers deliberately creating elaborate schemes in order to force people to buy a newer smartphone model, they are usually nothing more than scary stories we tell ourselves. But with Apple’s recent admission, a lot more people now are wondering if perhaps there is some truth to those conspiracy theories. Some are doing more than just wondering, and are actually already starting to sue.
Sensing that things are spiraling out of control, Apple has issued an official apology. And on top of that apology, the iPhone maker is also promising to replace batteries of slowed down iPhone units for only $29. Typically, battery replacements cost iOS mobile users $79, so affected iPhone owners basically now enjoy a $50 discount on the original pricing. The new batteries will be made available by next month, and presumably, all throughout the rest of next year.
For good measure, Apple is also vowing to roll out an iOS software update that should come with features that will help users gain more information about the state of health of their iPhone unit’s battery. Not only will these features allow people to determine if their battery is indeed losing capacity, but also ascertain for themselves if the processing speed of their devices is slowing down.
Apple fans are quite a loyal and animated bunch, and some will defend the brand till their last breath. But there may be others just waiting for a good enough excuse to maybe switch to Android (again, maybe). There is no telling if this recent blunder is that final nudge, but clearly, the tech giant has made a rather uncharacteristically big misstep. On the other hand, the formal apology should help clarify some things, and may even cause certain affected users to let bygones be bygones -- besides, this whole thing is not exactly a Galaxy Note 7 level of disaster, right? And Apple has weathered some more serious stuff before, and it is quite possible that by the third quarter of next year, we will all be too distracted with the new 2018 iPhone models to even care.
