Apple Being Sued for 'Purposefully Slowing Down Older iPhone Models' [Updated]

[Baymowe335]

My BMW had an airbag recall 3 years ago and in the letter, I was told metal projectiles could kill me. I JUST received my replacement airbag last week. O parts were available for 3 years.

I also have another pending recall with BMW for a possible fire due to a wiring problem which currently has NO resolution.

Point is, this stuff happens and Apple will take care of it either with the existing software solution, replacement battery, or you can proactively change the battery for $79.

No big deal.

 

[magbarn]

I'm curious, how do other manufacturers deal with this? All lithium-ion batteries go bad eventually. This isn't just an Apple problem.

You build more MARGIN into your batteries. You overspec them, meaning if your max CPU draw is going to pull 5 watts (yes these numbers are made up), you put a !@MN battery in that can handle 12 watts when new and still put out 5 watts in 3 years. The current batteries that Apple are using seem to be specced to only handle 5 watts when new and are down to 2.5 watts in 1 year...
The problem is that the cost of a higher spec battery is anathema to Apple, they're going to be larger and heavier compared to their current batteries.

 

[nibfiledotcom]

Oh no, Android is a great OS.

Android is fragmented, malware-ridden, garbage-collected trash. Real-world consumers (hint: none of us here fall into that category) don't care about filesystems, ringtone authoring, or the other geeky stuff it offers over iOS. They want it to work well with default settings, feel great in the hand, and hold up well over time, with great service and support. AnLook at any of the head-to-head usage comparisons between the iPhone X and its competitors. It takes a phone like the OnePlus 5T with eight cores and 8GB of RAM to narrowly beat it (and something was wrong with the iPhone X in that video, not to mention that iOS has yet to be truly optimized for it).

At a minimum.

Apple also benefited from those trading in their "car" for the latest model, because the old "car" was just too sluggish getting in and out of traffic. Those folks took their "car" into the dealership saying the "car" felt sluggish and/or crapped out going into and out of traffic, at which point the service center said "We checked against the diagnostic tool and everything checks out A-OK, nothing wrong".

But misleading the "car" owner that way, isn't an issue, right?

This whole thing came about because of GeekBench scores and sensationalist Apple clickbait, not because of an imagined scenario where huge numbers of angry customers brought their phones in to Apple stores reporting slowness. Most people "affected" by this iOS functionality were unaware that there was any issue at all.

If performance was truly a major factor, Apple would have seen a shortening in the ownership cycle, with customers buying more new devices after less time. In fact, the opposite is true: for several years, most analyst reports have indicated that the Apple ownership cycle is lengthening, not shortening. Apple's customers wait longer to upgrade, skipping several releases, because they want the shiny new features, not because their current phone is too slow. Furthermore, most consumer reports show that iOS devices perform better, look better, and sell for more money than their Android competitors as they age.

The fact is, all phones feel slower over time, and it has more to do with the new hotness being faster by comparison than any throttling. Just Google it, and look at then stories posted before this became sensational news.

EDIT: In case you don't want to follow that link, the top Google results for "phone slows down over time" are as follows:

• Why Android Phones Slow Down Over Time and How to Speed Them ...
  
• Why Your Smartphone Seems to Slow Down as it Ages - Lifehacker
  
• 5 Reasons Your Phone Slows Down Over Time - MakeUseOf
  
• Why do computers, smart phones and other devices slow down over ...
  
• Why do Android phones slow down over time? - Squto
  
• 10 top tips to speed up your phone - AndroidPIT
  
• Why does a Android phone slow down with time but iOS doesn't? - Quora

 

[curtvaughan]

Wow....Looks like IFIXIT will be on Apple crap list.....

They likely already were - they always do tear downs of Apple devices soon after their release, and do great evaluations of what they find. If it's good, they will tell you; if it's bad, they will tell you. I'm glad they are there!

 

[ani4ani]

So, I am genuinely interested in why I should buy Android and trust Google. Is your argument: "Everybody's at it, might as well not worry about it?"

It’s not for me to tell you to buy anything from anyone (and I didn’t). Basically not buying from one organisation as apposed to another just deprives you. To me, without buying anything from Google physically it wouldn’t make any difference, given that in all likelihood you probably type into the google search bar 100’s of times a week.

 

[firewood]

An interesting take from the IFIXIT folks, who are very savvy with gadgetry

IFixit's take seems to depend on Geekbench results, which is an app in the iOS App store. However, AFAIK, the iOS APIs to directly report processor clock speed are all private APIs. But apps which use those private APIs are not allowed in the iOS App store. Apple checks for, and rejects those apps. Thus, I suspect that Geekbench is measuring some other phenomena, not pure processor clock speed. Many other things could be causing the apparent slowdown, other than clock speed reduction.

I'm not saying the iPhones aren't slowing down. But the reasons reported by Geekbench and given in this thread (processor clock speed reduction, etc.) could be completely wrong. There may be other reasons for the visible slow down.

 

[sterlingindigo]

Where do I sign up?

 

[Leomon84]

Oh no, Android is a great OS. It makes up for iOS' flaws like innovation concerns and relying on ironclad software like iTunes. I enjoy having a full-fledged file system, easy to create ringtones, predictive dialing, more affordable hardware, and a better AI assistant.

For my next phone, I think I would consider the Google Pixel 3 at the time, like in 2019. I currently share a Nexus 5X as an older phone in case of my family member's phone has hardware or software issues requiring warranty support. Right now, I just keep it up to date software wise and use it to experience Android.

Yeah vanilla is always the best experience for Android

I also have a LG V20 right now. It is the last of a dying breed (user-replaceable battery)

I dont even know what my next phone will be.. Dont really feel like paying 1000 dollars for something that will last me 2 years....

 

[Altis]

I hope Apple gets dealt for having done this.

 

[trifid]

Speaking of which, I'm downloading geekbench now before Apple bans it

 

[mcarthon]

The fact they did it is no problem at all. But my giving that information to the consumer is where they are in the wrong.

 

[Leomon84]

If what Apple says is true - wouldn't this mean this happen in all smartphones. Wondering what Android phones do? Do they just clock down their phones to begin with? Do they have some sort of hardware that modulates the battery that an iPhone doesn't have?

No its not happening in any other smart phones in general.

No manufacturer or OS throttles their CPU due to battery. I have heard that they throttle due to heat I.E. Microsoft Surface but not due to battery life..

Iphone just undersized their batteries in pursuit of the mm thickness game. Thats my opinion.
Iphones are 7mm thick. Will you not buy it if its 7.5mm thick? It has to be thinner every generation right?? For progress???

Or more sinister they do it on purpose to you have to upgrade every year

 

[JM]

Speaking of which, I'm downloading geekbench now before Apple bans it

You'll like this. Geek bench 4 at #19 in Top Paid Apps

 

[Leomon84]

So, I am genuinely interested in why I should buy Android and trust Google. Is your argument: "Everybody's at it, might as well not worry about it?"

The answer is trust no one.

These are all just tech companies after your money..

Why you would trust any of these companies is beyond me...

 

[Applejuiced]

You'll like this. Geek bench 4 at #19 in Top Paid Apps

I wonder why?

 

[nviz22]

Android is fragmented, malware-ridden, garbage-collected trash. Real-world consumers (hint: none of us here fall into that category) don't care about filesystems, ringtone authoring, or the other geeky stuff it offers over iOS. They want it to work well with default settings, feel great in the hand, and hold up well over time, with great service and support. AnLook at any of the head-to-head usage comparisons between the iPhone X and its competitors. It takes a phone like the OnePlus 5T with eight cores and 8GB of RAM to narrowly beat it (and something was wrong with the iPhone X in that video, not to mention that iOS has yet to be truly optimized for it).



This whole thing came about because of GeekBench scores and sensationalist Apple clickbait, not because of an imagined scenario where huge numbers of angry customers brought their phones in to Apple stores reporting slowness. Most people "affected" by this iOS functionality were unaware that there was any issue at all.

If performance was truly a major factor, Apple would have seen a shortening in the ownership cycle, with customers buying more new devices after less time. In fact, the opposite is true: for several years, most analyst reports have indicated that the Apple ownership cycle is lengthening, not shortening. Apple's customers wait longer to upgrade, skipping several releases, because they want the shiny new features, not because their current phone is too slow. Furthermore, most consumer reports show that iOS devices perform better, look better, and sell for more money than their Android competitors as they age.

The fact is, all phones feel slower over time, and it has more to do with the new hotness being faster by comparison than any throttling. Just Google it, and look at then stories posted before this became sensational news.

EDIT: In case you don't want to follow that link, the top Google results for "phone slows down over time" are as follows:

• Why Android Phones Slow Down Over Time and How to Speed Them ...
  
• Why Your Smartphone Seems to Slow Down as it Ages - Lifehacker
  
• 5 Reasons Your Phone Slows Down Over Time - MakeUseOf
  
• Why do computers, smart phones and other devices slow down over ...
  
• Why do Android phones slow down over time? - Squto
  
• 10 top tips to speed up your phone - AndroidPIT
  
• Why does a Android phone slow down with time but iOS doesn't? - Quora

Whoa, whoa. You're getting too carried away with the Android vitriol. Yes, it is fragmented. But let's be real though. Apple is fragmenting its own lineup with a gesture based iOS 11 on the iPhone X vs the standard concept applied to 8/8+ and older devices. 3D Touch fragments the SE further since that is still one of the best smaller form factor devices around.

If real world users didn't care about a file-system, why did Apple create one for iOS 11? A filesystem helps out because you can retrieve attachments saved from emails and what not. How is using your own mp3 files as a ringtone "geeky?" You have to convert a mp3 file to a m4r one via iTunes to get a ringtone onto your iPhone. How is that intuitive in 2017? A simple "save as ringtone" is so convenient on Android. When I turned on my iPhone X during setup? TrueTone was on by default. TrueTone is useless to me. That isn't a default setting I wanted. Reachability had to be turned on in the settings as well. One-handed usage is important to people.

Benchmarks don't matter as much. If I had OnePlus 5T with a hardware advantage and better performance, I would say "okay, it's better processor performance." If the A11 processor is the best on the market, I would say it is the best and be done with it. I don't mind discussing the A11's merits either. But it's not something to brag about because any flagship these days provides more than enough processing power to comfortably handle tasks. Apple's A11 processor is an amazing accomplishment.

iOS 11 is a mess and it is true that Apple didn't do a superb job on it. It also goes to show that the A11 can be tweaked with software to outdo the OnePlus 5T or a Note 8. But at the same time, if real world users do not care for that type. of stuff, why bring it up?

As a former Note 8 owner, I know my old phone could do so much more than my X and that is a fact. My phone wasn't a malware ridden device. But then again, keep on thinking about pre-concieved notions.

 

[nibfiledotcom]

No its not happening in any other smart phones in general.

No manufacturer or OS throttles their CPU due to battery. I have heard that they throttle due to heat I.E. Microsoft Surface but not due to battery life..

Iphone just undersized their batteries in pursuit of the mm thickness game. Thats my opinion.
Iphones are 7mm thick. Will you not buy it if its 7.5mm thick? It has to be thinner every generation right?? For progress???

Or more sinister they do it on purpose to you have to upgrade every year

I think you hit it on the head. The almighty quest for "thinnest" has not been a good thing for overall usability, any more than the pursuit of "biggest screen". The "thin" mentality hasn't been super great for Apple's laptops either.

Apple's good at treading those razor thin margins, but this time, it seems to have bitten them, even if it's not actually a huge issue to customers.

 

[Leomon84]

Cars change their HP output ALL THE TIME. It will be reduced for any number of reasons:

- Poor quality fuel/low octane causes retardation of ignition timing, and in turbo charged engines reduced boost (reduced power).
- If your engine has not warmed up (or is very hot) HP will be reduced until the temperature is within “normal” range.
- If you have a turbocharged car with a water-air intercooler, and have been driving aggressively enough to warm the water up, power will be reduced until the water temperature has cooled off.
- If you have an automatic (or dual clutch) transmission and have been driving aggressively (fluid temperature is high), the engine will reduce power until the fluid temperature drops.
- Worn transmission? Reduced engine power to prolong transmission life.
- Fuel injectors not flowing as good as they were when your car was new? Reduced power. Fuel pump not generating the same pressure/flow? Reduced power.


I’ve only listed a few of the many ways your engine power could be reduced. You should have picked a better analogy.

SO these are normal issues that are expected

So if Honda disables one of your pistons and doesnt tell you thats okay right?

Please...

How is Apple throttling your CPU considered a normal operating condition or wear and tear??

 

[nviz22]

Yeah vanilla is always the best experience for Android

I also have a LG V20 right now. It is the last of a dying breed (user-replaceable battery)

I dont even know what my next phone will be.. Dont really feel like paying 1000 dollars for something that will last me 2 years....

Well, sadly unibody phones took over. The Note 4 was probably the last phone I owned with a removable battery. I paid the $1000 for the X only because I paid $350 for my Note 8 via a BOGO deal and selling a Galaxy 360 camera for $150. I sold my Note 8 for about $600 on Swappa. With the difference, I don't mind the price I paid as much.

After this week's news regarding confirming throttling phone, it reaffirms the planned obsolesce behind tech. My plan is to use this X for at least 2 years. I wouldn't expect to make it to year 3 because of the gimping and the possibility I would just ditch the phone for the previous year's Pixel. So I expect to get the 2018 Pixel in late 2019. But if I can get into year 3 with the X? I would be very pleasantly surprised and appreciative of it.

Spending $ to get another upgrade yearly is something I cannot do anymore nor care to do anymore.

 

[H00513R]

Got it.

But battery performance is a battery technology issue not an apple issue right?

What if Apple never implemented the throttling solution? Then there would be short battery life + random crash complaints?

I think they went with fixing what they have control over. #SHRUGS

Yes, but it all boils down to not being transparent enough with Apple users. I’m okay with what they did, but not HOW they did it. It seems they weren’t going to ever say anything about it until they were caught via the speed tests. A simple “We do this after X amount of usage or years to help save battery and improve the experience” would have been great. Either way I would have gotten the X!

 

[iWarnedYou]

About time. What they are doing is highly unethical. Their involvement with my property stops after payment.

Really? You need to think about what you just typed here.

 

[firewood]

You'll like this. Geek bench 4 at #19 in Top Paid Apps

So... this whole story could have been made up to boost Geekbench up the Paid App charts?

 

[Leomon84]

Well, sadly unibody phones took over. The Note 4 was probably the last phone I owned with a removable battery. I paid the $1000 for the X only because I paid $350 for my Note 8 via a BOGO deal and selling a Galaxy 360 camera for $150. I sold my Note 8 for about $600 on Swappa. With the difference, I don't mind the price I paid as much.

After this week's news regarding confirming throttling phone, it reaffirms the planned obsolesce behind tech. My plan is to use this X for at least 2 years. I wouldn't expect to make it to year 3 because of the gimping and the possibility I would just ditch the phone for the previous year's Pixel. So I expect to get the 2018 Pixel in late 2019. But if I can get into year 3 with the X? I would be very pleasantly surprised and appreciative of it.

Spending $ to get another upgrade yearly is something I cannot do anymore nor care to do anymore.

Phones are just phones

Note 4, Note 8
Iphone 6 Iphone X

Is there really that much difference between a span of a few years.. not really.

Are phones worth the amounts they are selling? Nooo

I really stopped caring for new phone releases..

The only thing that erks me now is the waste or E-WASTE our purchasing cyclical Capitalist behavior is doing to the environment

Every year a "Green" tech company announces a new phone. Claims that everything has changed (when nothing really has) Spends an hour in a conference trying to convince us that everything has changed and that its X100 faster than last years. Showing us lights, high res photos and pictures of people smiling like its changed their lives.

Once we get it, we drop it two feet and either the all aluminum scratches to hell or the glass shatters.. Heart broken we pay the overpriced repair fee. Then we put this beautiful expensive (jewelry) of a phone in a hello kitty pink case with ears on it.

1.5-2 years down the road when the battery starts crapping out we throw the phone away and start the cycle again.

Its all marketing its all branding. Apple and most smartphone companies are Branding first, tech second.

If they really cared for the environment they would make a more durable, modular, long lasting phone.

 

[639051]

I finally made the switch last night back to Android. Picked up a pixel 2 xl at a nice discount and got a $250 target gift card.

My X was still within the return window.

 

[forestan]

I thought it’s hardware issue on my iPhone 6 and I changed to iPhone X. Despicable and dirty tricks.

 

[trifid]

So... this whole story could have been made up to boost Geekbench up the Paid App charts?

Except that's false, since Apple confirmed it. I infer a different conclusion: a huge number of iPhone users are pissed enough to shell out $1 and find out how their iPhone fares. If people didn't care about the stuttering, choppy performance etc would Geekbench be top 20 apps paid? I doubt it.

It's true, it's time to stop the reality distortion field, Apple's planned obsolescence scheme has been exposed.