can we trust apple?
That’s up to the individual to decide.
I do, and still will, in the near foreseeable future at least.
can we trust apple?
Apple today announced it is making its reduced $29 battery replacements available immediately for iPhone 6 and all newer models.
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Apple previously said it would offer the cheaper battery replacements in late January, but it has removed that timeframe from its letter to customers, and has confirmed immediate availability in a statement to TechCrunch.Apple normally charges $79 for out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements, but it reduced the price by $50 following a wave of controversy over its process of dynamically managing the peak performance of some older iPhone models with degraded batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns.
Given a lack of nuance in some mainstream coverage, many headlines have fueled speculation that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models, but the actual issue was Apple's lack of transparency about the power management changes it made starting in iOS 10.2.1.
When it released iOS 10.2.1 in February, Apple only vaguely said it made "improvements" to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns. It only chose to explain that the changes it made may result in temporary slowdowns on some older iPhone models with degraded batteries after controversy recently reignited.
The issue came into the spotlight in early December after a Reddit user claimed that his iPhone's performance significantly increased after replacing the device's battery. Soon after, analysis of iPhone 6s benchmarks visualized an apparent link between lower performance and degraded battery health.
Apple responded by noting the power management process is a "feature" rolled out to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone SE, but since it didn't fully communicate this change, some iPhone users may not have realized all they needed was a new battery.
Apple said it will release an iOS update in early 2018 with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance. It's unclear if Apple will ever let customers opt out of the power management process.
Apple said the cheaper iPhone battery replacements will be available worldwide through December 2018. The $29 fee applies to the United States, with prices varying in other countries based on exchange rates.
To initiate the battery replacement process, we recommend contacting Apple Support by phone, online chat, email, or Twitter, or scheduling a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store with the Apple Support app. You can also inquire about a battery replacement with select Apple Authorized Service Providers.
Article Link: Apple Makes $29 Battery Replacements Available Immediately for iPhone 6 and Newer
Since this is a paid for service even for phones that is already out of warranty. If a phone is previously repaired by a 3rd party, can we still pay the $29 for the battery to be replaced by Apple?
You're giving Apple a free pass. They sold, still selling, a device thats not fit for purpose over it's life time. Mistake 1: faulty product. Then they knowingly slowed it down, without consumer knowledge to cover up that original fault. Mistake 2: lack of honesty.That’s up to the individual to decide.
I do, and still will, in the near foreseeable future at least.
Given a lack of nuance in some mainstream coverage, many headlines have fueled speculation that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models, but the actual issue was Apple's lack of transparency about the power management changes it made starting in iOS 10.2.1.
I’m confused. Is that supposed to be $29 (Canada; $35) all-in, or is there a separate cost for labour? Before Apple decided to reduce their battery cost, I went to the Apple Genius Bar in Toronto and was quoted $99 for the battery replacement plus $429 labour. So tell me about that labour cost: does it still exist or is Apple now waiving it? Because let me tell you, that small reduction in battery cost means next to nothing if that labour cost is still there. Here’s a copy of my work order from Apple (p.s. I cancelled after seeing this bill, and purchased a battery replacement elsewhere.)
How about you force an OS update on them, which cant be removed after the fact, that slows it down. Every phone I've ever owned has a battery warning system; never "shut down in the middle of a call" without warning you in advance.But. If you wanted to deliberately make the old phones look poor in comparison to newer models and incite customers to upgrade, then isn't purposefully slowing down older handsets (for whatever reason) exactly what you'd do?
No, we don't want our phones to suddenly shut down in the middle of a call (though this frequently happens "naturally" when the juice runs out, as it will), but equally we would have been more likely to believe Apple had they been open. But they weren't open and people quite rightly therefore doubt their original motivations.
According to the Apple Canada website, the maximum out-of-warranty repair fee for an iPhone 6 Plus is $429 CAD. This almost always entails receiving a warrantied refurbished iPhone which already includes a new battery. The standard cost for the battery replacement service is $99 CAD. Your repair estimate appears to be a simple error accidentally charging for both possible repair options, likely caused by the holiday rush.I’m confused. Is that supposed to be $29 (Canada; $35) all-in, or is there a separate cost for labour? Before Apple decided to reduce their battery cost, I went to the Apple Genius Bar in Toronto and was quoted $99 for the battery replacement plus $429 labour. So tell me about that labour cost: does it still exist or is Apple now waiving it? Because let me tell you, that small reduction in battery cost means next to nothing if that labour cost is still there. Here’s a copy of my work order from Apple (p.s. I cancelled after seeing this bill, and purchased a battery replacement elsewhere.)
Yes and no, you would think the 6s would be the bug free release -- in some ways it is since they only added that force touch thing and Apple fixed the soldering issue that causes the iphone 6/6+ touch disease.
After they pay the labor, the $29 is going to be a drop in the bucket. You know how many $29 battery replacements they’ll need to make to mean *anything* to their bottom line? Even if 50M people take advantage of this, that’s about $1.5B top line. That’s about 1.5% of their projected sales for this QUARTER.
Apple is doing this because they believe it’s the right thing to do, not to make an extra buck.
Yes. It should be from Apple. Don’t trust some random person with your device.
Before this fiasco began, Apple would NOT swap your iphone battery if it tested >80% capacity, even if the customer wanted to pay for it, and going third party voided the warranty -- WTH were people supposed to do then ?
Completely agree with the sentiment; but you've missed a trick here; if you take the $29 then you're just repeating the problem, that battery is still going to be as faulty as the the one it's replacing. Problem never goes away, Apple is happy.Question you can ask yourself , why was the 6S plagued so badly by shutdowns/restarts ? Apple hopes you Take the $29 and all is fine .
Completely agree with the sentiment; but you've missed a trick here; if you take the $29 then you're just repeating the problem, that battery is still going to be as faulty as the the one it's replacing. Problem never goes away, Apple is happy.
Well Apple uses water damaged boards in refurb devices. How anyone trusts them anymore is beyond me.
Question you can ask yourself , why was the 6S plagued so badly by shutdowns/restarts ? Apple hopes you GIVE (Take) the $29 and all is fine .
I’m confused. Is that supposed to be $29 (Canada; $35) all-in, or is there a separate cost for labour? Before Apple decided to reduce their battery cost, I went to the Apple Genius Bar in Toronto and was quoted $99 for the battery replacement plus $429 labour. So tell me about that labour cost: does it still exist or is Apple now waiving it? Because let me tell you, that small reduction in battery cost means next to nothing if that labour cost is still there. Here’s a copy of my work order from Apple (p.s. I cancelled after seeing this bill, and purchased a battery replacement elsewhere.)
You're giving Apple a free pass. They sold, still selling, a device thats not fit for purpose over it's life time. Mistake 1: faulty product. Then they knowingly slowed it down, without consumer knowledge to cover up that original fault. Mistake 2: lack of honesty.
You can't make a mistake of something, then try to fix that by making another blunder.
Definitely.As they should have. They should also make the price permanent.
You really think people were desperate to hold on to old phones but traded up because they slowed down? Right. After all, the original 2007 iPhone is all we ever needed right? Who needs all the features added since??No, no, no, Apple. You profited massively from the sales of new phones by conveniently failing to tell your customers that you were slowing their current phones, thereby making them falsely believe they needed to upgrade. Yet you think we should go out of our way and take time from our day to travel to your stores, and *still* pay you more money to fix it? Had you been upfront and given customers the option to decide how their phones perform from within the OS, a replacement battery fee would be perfectly acceptable. I got a kit from Amazon that included tools and replaced my own for $24.95.
I find it hard to believe Apple had malicious intent. They are noted for their unparalleled customer service. No one else comes even close.To be honest, this was a bit annoying for me to deal with on iPhone 6 and 6s... but I actually don’t really fault Apple for doing it. I think the news story twisted it to be more nefarious than what it actually was/is. I’m not saying it’s right, but I honestly don’t think Apple was attempting to be evil here. *Of course I could be dead wrong, but eh.
Kallum.
I have explained a few pages back in some detail why I feel Apple did things the way they did and why I feel it was not entirely unjustifiable.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...one-6-and-newer.2098263/page-13#post-25655092
In summary, the long-term solutions proposed by some of you like improved batteries, I believe Apple is actively working on them, but it's not something that can or should be rushed, and it's not something that Apple can make happen overnight however huge an uproar there is. It will happen, people just need to give Apple time.
In the meantime, throttling the processor and replacing the batteries for a nominal fee remain reasonable interim measures until a more permanent solution can be found. I am not saying the solution doesn't suck, but again, if you give my linked response above a glance, you will hopefully have a better understanding of why I seem to be "giving Apple a free pass".
To be honest, this was a bit annoying for me to deal with on iPhone 6 and 6s... but I actually don’t really fault Apple for doing it. I think the news story twisted it to be more nefarious than what it actually was/is. I’m not saying it’s right, but I honestly don’t think Apple was attempting to be evil here. *Of course I could be dead wrong, but eh.
Kallum.
I actually stated my thoughts a few posts back as well.Have you ever asked why the 6S is plagued by these shutdowns? Let's not blame battery tech when iPhones before the 6S managed to deal with older batteries .