Lawsuit for intentional degradation of iPhone’s performance

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Apple, the world's leading smartphone manufacturer, officially admitted that that it has deliberately degraded the performance of customers' old iPhones by applying performance-reducing software updates. Many users experienced a sharp slowdown after updating the iPhone's software. In mid-December, Prime Labs, a Canadian smartphone performance analyzing software company, reported iPhone's battery deterioration and slow-down in performance after the update, and Apple was forced to make an announcement admitting that it had applied "updates that slows down” the device. Soon, Apple announced an apology for slowing iPhones on the website and promised a battery replacement at reduced price. Apple CEO Tim Cook officially gave an apology to “anybody that thinks we had some kind of other motivation” on January 18, 2018. 

 

Apple explained that the update was made in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns due to aged battery, but the update of the iPhone has caused device instability in fact. Moreover, Apple has not informed iPhone consumers of the side effects of these updates, nor has it given them any option.

 

If consumers had known that update caused slowdown, they would not have updated or exchanged old batteries. However, many consumers who did not know that the iPhone's performance degradation was related to old batteries or software updates, were forced to keep their devices with a depreciated battery or purchase a new model. Apple’s intentional slowing down older iPhones aimed at covering up defects in iPhone batteries and encouraging the purchase of new iPhones instead of batteries. This planned obsolescence is not just an immoral, but illegal.

 

This is a case in which consumers who suffered from ”updated iPhone performance degradation” claim damages against Apple and Apple Korea.