According to a recent report published by Bloomberg, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may be currently investigating Apple’s use of a software update in slowing down the processing speed of certain old iPhone models starting late last year. The federal investigation is said to be in its initial stages, and the talk is that the US government has also proceeded to requesting information from Apple itself.
It was more than a month ago when Apple had fully admitted that it was indeed intentionally decreasing the performance speed of older iPhone models. This was done by way of a software update roll out that would automatically slow down an iPhone unit’s processing so that the handset’s old battery would not randomly shut down, especially when the battery is not charged enough, or when the iPhone is used in cold temperatures.
While Apple’s intentions may have been good, the fact that it did the slowing down secretly did not sit well with the owners of affected iPhone models. It did not help that the tech giant normally charges $79 for iPhone battery replacement services. Sure, the company eventually did issue an official apology, and even went as far as reducing the battery replacement costs to only $29 (plus, promising to replace the battery even if the iPhone being tested passes diagnostics). And less than a week ago, it has announced that it was planning to soon deploy an iOS update that would allow users to disable the performance slowing update.
But as they say, the damage has been done, and until now, Apple is still trying to deal with the repercussions -- more than a couple of weeks ago, Republican Senator John Thune had sent a letter to Apple, basically asking the world’s second biggest seller of smartphone devices some further questions regarding the issue (which has now been nicknamed as batterygate).
Apple’s fans have always been known for their loyalty, but it appears that some are nearing their limits. There will always be mobile users who are ready to embrace the idea of phone makers secretly scheming to get customers to update to the newest model (even if the user’s model still works perfectly), and Apple’s blunder is giving these users even more reason to believe the worse.
As for Apple, it has been a rather intriguing two month stretch for the tech giant, so to speak. Amidst the batterygate issue, the company can celebrate having its iPhone X flagship being named as the best selling smartphone during the holidays. But the results of a recent survey conducted by Cowen suggests that consumer interest in new iPhone models is nearing its lowest levels ever.
