Because every headline says “X phone blew up.... they are investigating” but no one writes headlines 3 months later saying “phone battery that blew up ended up being third party. No news site runs that because it doesn’t get clicks, and less than half actually update the original articles with the conclusion of the investigations. The only part sensational is the part where it blows up.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple on iPhone Battery Locking Issue: We Want to Make Sure Battery Replacement is Done Properly
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Because every headline says “X phone blew up.... they are investigating” but no one writes headlines 3 months later saying “phone battery that blew up ended up being third party. No news site runs that because it doesn’t get clicks, and less than half actually update the original articles with the conclusion of the investigations. The only part sensational is the part where it blows up.
Yup. Here's the way this should go:
- If you install a new battery from anywhere but Apple you void the warranty. Boiler plate stuff.
- Your iPhone should notify Apple when the battery is not Apple-installed. This way, Apple can come back with a simple "battery was unsupported" when the headlines appear.
It's not as straightforward as "Apple is screwing this up" or "Apple should be able to tell people how to fix their devices". it's somewhere in the middle.
In automobiles it has nothing to do with “anti-theft” it has more to do with getting you back into the dealership for repairs. More and more devices, modules and even transmissions are now hard-coded and locked to the VIN number of the vehicle the part came from. Some parts can have the VIN number changed so they will start communicating with the rest of the vehicle, others are “one time use” and your only option is to replace with new OEM. An owners “right to repair” is quickly disappearing.
This VIN coding is showing up in even simple parts like window switches and radios. The part will not function until you pay the dealer to program the part.
One manufacturer in particular has patent protection on certain car parts that they will continue the patent on for up to 20 years. They then make the parts obsolete after 7 years and discontinue supplying them. If you cannot repair the car, you are forced to trade it in or junk it. Same company that will finance your new car for you for 7 years.
I would assume from this that Apple and other manufacturers will start coding components to require that the IMEI number matches before the component will function.
Please provide the vehicle where a window switch is VIN coded.
I also want to know the name of the manufacturer (and the specific parts) where they make the parts obsolete after 7 years.
Apple can't do this as it goes counter to The Magnusson Moss Warranty Act. Manufacturers can't void your warranty if you get work done at an independent repair facility.
However.....and this is the important part.....manufacturers can specify warranty procedures to follow for parts replacement. If these procedures aren't followed then Apple could deny warranty.
I'll use automotive as an example of this. Your manufacturer requires you to use a certain motor oil in the engine (high performance car with 0W60 synthetic oil). You get an independent shop to change the oil, and they put in regular old 'dino oil' and your engine has a bearing failure. The dealer would have a rock-solid case to deny the engine warranty because you used the wrong oil. However, they can only void the engine warranty. This is also in The Magnusson Moss Warranty Act - manufacturers can't void your entire warranty just because a single component was improperly replaced.
Though this is all moot. Who in their right mind would ever take an iPhone that's still under warranty to an independent shop for a new battery?
07-up Tahoe, Yukon,Escalade is just one example of a window switch that requires dealer programming.
I am not going to get into slamming a particular auto manufacturer on this forum as we are taking the conversation way off track. I was simply saying that this type of situation with the iPhone batteries is nothing new...
Users should be able to order a new battery from apple directly, and the design of the phone should allow the user to swap the battery.
All arguments against allowing the above are the problems Apple need to fix (either in their product design or in their flipping attitude).
All arguments against allowing the above are the problems Apple need to fix (either in their product design or in their flipping attitude).
Yes, I've been hearing about the coming downfall of Apple for quite some time.
Despite the fact that they have been experiencing some pretty rough press as of late my point was addressing the notion that the current CEO just doesn't care about the brand, which in my opinion is ludicrious.
And yet one of the only major media disasters under Jobs was the “you’re holding it wrong” antenna-gate. There are more than 7 I can lose off the top of my head under Cook.
Who else is to blame for quality control and brand image, if not the CEO?
In my opinion the crap is really going to hit the fan in the coming quarters, when (in my opinion) it’s going to become obvious to shareholders that the slumping iPhone sales are NOT due to people holding onto their phones longer and upgrading less, but rather ... they’ve stopped buying Apple products. That’s when it’s really going to get serious. As it stands right now, everyone is just dismissing the double-digit drop off in sales as some kind of exception due to better processors and longer life of devices.
They are a business of over 100k people and are considerably bigger under Cook than they were under Jobs so it comes with the territory. I think he’s doing a great job and AAPL stock reflects just that.
One could reasonably argue that some of those examples you gave are directly caused by their almost obsessive quality control of their brand dynamics. Take the topic at hand for example. I really don’t think they are nickel-and-diming their customers but are instead trying to invoke some kind of quality control. When one of those 3rd party battery replacements on an iPhone inevitably blow someone’s hand off then they truly will have a PR nightmare to deal with, à la Samsung.
Sadly, everyone here will denouce this move by Apple, but continue to keep buying their products.
I'll bet in a year or so from now, some kid will come along complaining about how there's this warning on his phone and the response from the community will almost unanimously be: "ONLY GENIUSES can replace iPhone batteries, Einstein"
I'll bet in a year or so from now, some kid will come along complaining about how there's this warning on his phone and the response from the community will almost unanimously be: "ONLY GENIUSES can replace iPhone batteries, Einstein"
I'm so impressed! Tim Cook has put a 256GB HD camera-phone in the hands of every mother wanting to take 100,000 pictures of her newborn baby! WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT! 3-cheers for the chief! He's really made an impact on Wall St, doncha think?
I'm pretty sure Steve Wozniac agrees that Apple's needs to get further away from simplicity and innovation and make a bunch of gimmicky products to help their bottom line. FOOLPROOF CONTINGENCY PLAN!!
HAT'S OFF TO THE REAL GENIUS! Steve Job's leadership was all in our heads. Apple wasn't growing exponentially with Steve Jobs, it was falling apart! But thanks to the genius of one Tim Cook, of whom, solely saved the failing company and did the impossible: Made Apple the world's most valuable company IN JUST 2 DAYS after steve jobs resigned! No, Tim Cook isn't the luckiest executive in the world or nothing... He didn't inherit a company on a steep incline with 5 years of products already in development... Time Cook single-handedly ushered in a new era of groundbreaking technologies that Steve Jobs has NOTHING to do with, such as the Car...
Last edited: