The consumer rights activist Justin Gutmann sued Apple for having slowed down the old iPhones in 2017 and now the Apple risks paying £ 750 million in damages. All the fault of an update to the battery system that, according to Gutmann, Apple without the knowledge of users. And to hide an error in the update.
Apple accused of slowing down old iPhones
In January 2017, Apple released a update without documentation for iPhone battery management. The update slowed the performance of older smartphones to prevent them from turning off without warning.
But according to Justin Gutmann, Apple hasn’t given consumers a choice. In fact, there was no possibility to disable this function. He then sued Apple al Competition Appeals Tribunal. If it wins, Apple would have to pay around $ 750 million, divided by the 25 million people who bought it iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X.
Apple Store in New York, USA
The activist claims that Apple did not disclose the update because, in fact, the Apple had found that the batteries of the iPhones that were a few years old they couldn’t handle the energy demands of the new update. Instead of changing the batteries of these smartphones, which he had guaranteed the update, it would have slowed down the performance.
“Instead of doing the honorable and legal thing by offering a spare, free replacement or compensation, Apple has tricked people into hiding a tool in software update slowing down devices by 58%“Dice Gutman”.
Apple acknowledged the problem a year later, saying the update prevented shutdown due to battery problems. “We have never done and will never do anything that would intentionally shorten the life of an Apple product. Or that it degrades the user experience to convince users to upgrade. Our goal has always been to create products that our consumers love. And making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that. ”
This compensation is in addition to the fine from 10 million euros commissioned by Italian Guarantor and ai 310 million dollars (25 for the iPhone) which he negotiated in Americto. This compensation would be the most substantial, at £ 30 for iPhones. We will keep you updated on the result.