Tim Cook apologises for lack of clarity on slowing iPhones
29 Dec 2017
Apple chief executive Tim Cook yesterday apologised to customers for not making it clear that the company slows down phones with aging batteries. He promised that, in the future, Apple will "give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery" and allow people to see if their battery's age affects their phone's performance.
Apple announced in a statement that users with iPhone 6 or later will get discounts on battery replacements. A replacement will now cost $29 instead of $79 starting in late January 2018.
Commentators point out that the cheaper price is more in line with third-party repair shops.
While the message struck an apologetic note, he rejected allegations that Apple slowed down phones with older batteries as a way to push people into buying new phones. "First and foremost, we have never - and would never - do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades," he said, The Washington Post reported.
The company had earlier explained the older batteries run a higher risk of spontaneously shutting down, and the reduction in performance is done to address this. According to many experts the explanation made technical sense.
Meanwhile, Apple has confirmed to BGR India that battery replacements will cost Rs2,000 plus taxes for iPhone 6 or later in India. According to BGR India which claimed to have spoken to authorised Apple resellers in India battery replacement charges for iPhone 6s would cost users Rs6,500.
Meanwhile, in a letter to customers posted on its website, Apple has issued a public apology for the misunderstanding around older iPhone being slowed down without informing customers. The letter says, ''We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize.''
Apple added, batteries are ''consumable components'' and will need to be replaced in order to maintain optimum performance.
Apple has also promised to issue an iOS software update with new features that will provide more information about the battery health of iPhone in early 2018.
