The case dates back to the end of 2017, and the agreement reached between the different parties in 2020, but it is now official, Apple will finally release the checkbook for knowingly slowing down some of its old iPhones.
Purposely (but not telling anyone) slowing down some older iPhone models to allegedly extend their battery life… at the cost of performance. You may remember, that’s what Apple did a little over 5 years ago, especially on the iPhone 6 (but also on some iPhone SE and iPhone 7), before the case broke. be highlighted by the press following criticism from many users on social networks.
A case that will have cost Apple 500 million dollars
Apple was then accused of knowingly wanting to slow down its old iPhones to push their users to replace them with new models. The firm has always refuted this accusation of planned obsolescence, but it nevertheless led to a major class action in North America, bringing together no less than 3 million plaintiffs.
It finally resulted in an agreement in March 2020, providing for Apple to pay a total of $500 million to put an end to the case and the legal hassles that had arisen from it. More than three years later, the brand is finally releasing the checkbook. This long delay is not Apple’s fault, however, reports CNET.
A (modest) sum paid to plaintiffs
We learn that the payment of this sum was slowed down by the objections of two plaintiffs, who were still in conflict with the terms of the agreement. These two people, however, were dismissed on appeal to a California court, which allowed the situation to unblock. In total, those who participated in the class action against Apple will therefore receive $65 individually.
This sum is relatively symbolic, but is also a setback that Apple should remember for a long time. In addition to the $ 500 million now being paid, the firm had indeed been forced to quickly deploy a corrective iOS update. Pressure from consumers at the time of the case had also forced the group to offer free, then lower-cost battery replacements for affected iPhones.
Remember that in parallel with this collective action across the Atlantic, Apple also had to deal with several complaints in Europe for this same case. In 2020, the firm was thus condemned in quick succession to pay 25 million euros to French justice, then 10 million euros to the Italian courts.
Source : CNET
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