French watchdog fines Apple $27 million for slowing down older iPhones

[midian182]

What just happened? Remember when Apple in 2017 admitted it throttled the performance of iPhones with older batteries? The company has just been fined $27 million by the French government for not informing owners about what it was doing.

Following an investigation at the time that suggested a link between the performance capabilities of an iPhone and the age of its battery, Apple said it had released a patch for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, and iPhone 7 that did slow them down. While some claimed this was planned obsolescence, the company said throttling the speed of the devices kept them working longer.

"Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components," Apple wrote in 2017. It also offered a battery replacement program, which saw 11 million people pay $29 for a new component instead of the previous $79.

France’s Competition and Fraud body, the DGCCRF, still holds Apple accountable for not informing owners of what was going on, which it says: "constituted a misleading commercial practice by omission."

“The DGCCRF has indeed shown that iPhone owners had not been informed that the updates of the iOS operating system (10.2.1 and 11.2) they installed were likely to slow down the operation of their device," the watchdog wrote in a press release.

Apple hasn’t contested the decision, and it must display a banner on Apple France’s iPhone page for one month stating it had misled customers, and that it has paid a fine.

In response to the DGCCRF's announcement, Apple wrote: “Our goal has always been to create secure products appreciated by our clients, and making iPhones that last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

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https://www.techspot.com/news/83920-french-watchdog-fines-apple-27-million-slowing-down.html

 

[Nobina]

While some claimed this was planned obsolescence, the company said throttling the speed of the devices kept them working longer.

If Apple really had good intentions they would inform their customers. They could've throttled them at the launch so they would last longer. They can throttle new iPhones to make them last longer. Why don't they then?

 

[Lew Zealand]

If Apple really had good intentions they would inform their customers. They could've throttled them at the launch so they would last longer. They can throttle new iPhones to make them last longer. Why don't they then?

Because that's not what people want.

People want the fastest phone with the longest battery runtime per charge when they buy the new top of the line one. Both of those demands on the battery quickly result in shorter runtimes over the course of just a few months. So Apple tried to slow down the phones a bit to reduce one of those demands, peak power draw, and were caught doing it.

Sure, they could have given users the option to choose longer runtime per charge or peak speed but let's be honest. The average consumer doesn't know enough about their phone, electronics, or batteries to even make a decision about this and it would have generated a flood of tech support calls.

So they tried to get away with it and totally failed. Really? With a billion devices out there they tried to sneak something. LOL, *****s.

 

[Nobina]

Because that's not what people want.

People want the fastest phone with the longest battery runtime per charge when they buy the new top of the line one. Both of those demands on the battery quickly result in shorter runtimes over the course of just a few months. So Apple tried to slow down the phones a bit to reduce one of those demands, peak power draw, and were caught doing it.

Sure, they could have given users the option to choose longer runtime per charge or peak speed but let's be honest. The average consumer doesn't know enough about their phone, electronics, or batteries to even make a decision about this and it would have generated a flood of tech support calls.

So they tried to get away with it and totally failed. Really? With a billion devices out there they tried to sneak something. LOL, *****s.

You think of the "average consumer" as a complete retard. I don't think that's the case here, this is nothing difficult to comprehend.

With a billion devices out there they tried to sneak something. LOL, *****s.

Why is that hard to believe especially with what you said about the average consumer?

 

[Uncle Al]

Apple .... must be Latin for "screw the client" ... or words to that effect .....

 

[Lew Zealand]

You think of the "average consumer" as a complete retard. I don't think that's the case here, this is nothing difficult to comprehend.

Nope, it's not that they can't understand the technical details, it's that those things don't matter to them.

If you give them a decision to make about the long term function of a technical device, especially if you need to explain the trade-offs, most people will glaze over like when their mechanic tries to explain what failed in their catalytic converter. Yes there are lots of people who care about these details but there are a far higher number who don't.

 

[Lew Zealand]

As an example, how many people can explain why their phone's battery loses so much of its runtime in 2 years while their hybrid or full electric car battery is still almost as good as new at 5, 8 or even 10 years?

 

[Morris Minor]

Apple can do no wrong in the eyes of the isheep
https://codecrackx15.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/isheep-expert-witness.jpg

 

[QuantumPhysics]

$27 Million?

I don't know if Apple will ever come back from this.

 

[toooooot]

All they had to tell their customers why they do it and give an option to continue at the full speed at the expense of aging battery. It is amazingly funny how these companies get in trouble trying to hide things they could have gotten away with if they were honest.

 

[captaincranky]

$27 Million?

I don't know if Apple will ever come back from this.

I feel for them. I"m barely over a parking ticket I got 5 years ago....

 

[Danny101]

Apple can make all the excuses they want, but this is planned obsolesce. If they were being transparent they could have put in options for it and explain it. They didn't and they got caught. Battery Saver is an easy option. All the public moralizing they do is just a game. They are a profit only company.

 

[Dosahka]

So this like

As an example, how many people can explain why their phone's battery loses so much of its runtime in 2 years while their hybrid or full electric car battery is still almost as good as new at 5, 8 or even 10 years?

But electric cars are the same as phones, more you use/charge it, more it can hold with one charge, there is a dutch Tesla forum where they collecting data from 350 Tesle owner on how their car performs, regarding that data, when you reach about 300k km (roughly 186k miles) that's when your cars battery can only hold 90% of the original...
Putting this into the iPhones perspective, you charge it every day or two days (exceptions like elder users who have their phones for candy crush and to do video call with their kids and tend to charge their phones every 3-5 days) your battery will degrade in 2 years time to 90-92%, it's like how dogs (phones) age quicker than humans (electric vehicle). YMMV
You have the option to turn off the low perf mode (eco mode if you'd like) but that means your phone likely to run out of juice quicker. Hope this helps why apple "slowed down" (yes quotes, they tried to give you the same user experience like it was new). Also most of the people only care about that they can take good pics for Insta/Face/Snap, should last for a day or two (they know about the low power mode) and that's it. and they tend to swap phones when they feel it can't last a day and the quality of the pics not as good as their partner's/friend's. IMHO

 

[Lew Zealand]

The real answer, from people who test these things:

BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries

BU meta description needed...

batteryuniversity.com

Spoiler: use your battery from 25-85% and it'll last a lot longer. That's how electric & hybrid cars manage their battery charge to ensure long cell life.