Apple's $29 Battery Replacement Program Could Lead to 16M Fewer iPhones Sold in 2018

[redscull]

B.S! People will continue to buy new phones. Realistically, how many people actually buy new phones because of their slower performance?

Isn’t that in fact the primary reason? New iOS on old phone crushes it to the point of being frustrating to use so buy new phone. That’s the pattern of most people I know. Not all. But most.

i doubt the battery related downgrade is nearly as impactful as iOS upgrades vs the model. To say that the battery replacement would thwart a new purchase implies that the degradation is equivalent to at least a whole generation difference. That sounds ridiculous.

 

[chatin]

Apple is digging a nice hole here because the batteries were never meant to be replaced. They are glued in tight and are usually destroyed when being removed. A special robot does the swap at the Apple store. There is usually only one per store per model. If a line forms then rationed battery service ensues.

 

[thefredelement]

This battery issue is not done taking a bite of their sales, nor should it be. They need to be held accountable to all those people who upgraded iPhones instead of just replacing a battery.

This is practically writing commercials for Samsung's ad agencies.

 

[Z400Racer37]

Just in case you thought companies make money by lying to their customers... How many years in a row does Apple have to build their reputation by doing the right thing by their customer's trust for people to realize they're not trying to screw you out of every last dime?

 

[RealAppleFan]

I can't believe fans are still trying to defend Apple.

Disgusting.

 

[Act3]

iPhones were slowing down way before iOS11, for a lot of different reasons.

This is not bound to change with cheaper battery replacements.

Very poor “analysis”, more like a FUD piece.

I was seeing occasional lag and stutter with my 6S, one minute the phone was fast, then laggy and fast...That has all gone away with the new battery. Runs smooth and fast all the time now with an new battery, 11.2.1

What I was seeing when I posted that below back on Nov 19, went away with new battery.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-6s-ios-11-1-2.2089586/#post-25491700

 

[Wowereit]

If I pull a number out of my *ss and multiply it with another number I've pulled out of my *ss, I conclude that Apple will sell exactly 6,735,986 iPhones less in 2018.

 

[mikethemartian]

not unless iOS 12 slows it down in time for new iPhones.

iOS 12 will come with a feature where it computes pi to the best precision possible in the background.

 

[mwined]

The reality is many people can't justify spending hundreds (or, ~$1000) to buy a new phone every two years. And many people simply don't care about the latest and the greatest.

My dad's iPhone 6 Plus was so slow that he (a very much non-tech person) felt very frustrated (even wiped his phone clean because he thought it has got some kind of virus). I bought him an iPhone 8 plus as a present for his birthday, he couldn't really tell the differences (other than the obvious ones like the camera looks different) but he's just happy that using the new phone just feels like using his 6p when he first bought it.

That's weird. My 6+ is doing fine with the latest iOS installed.

 

[Jon2010]

I was thinking about upgrading my 2016 SE to the 2018 SE (if it exists). Now I'll use this to stretch my 2016 SE as long as possible.

Been using a note 4 since release 2014. Never had any major issues. Been thinking about trying apple but now not sure

 

[MattiR]

Her three year old phone is slow?

Wow.

Well, my 3yr old iPhone 6 still runs fine, since my battery is still in decent condition. His sister's phone could potentially run as well as mine had Apple informed her of the battery problem.

 

[mwined]

If I pull a number out of my *ss and multiply it with another number I've pulled out of my *ss, I conclude that Apple will sell exactly 6,735,986 iPhones less in 2018.

Careful with that. If you turn out to be right, everyone's gonna want in there!

 

[creediddy]

This is a non story...This won't effect future sales for Apple...

 

[acucons]

***BATTERY REPLACEMENT WARNING--NO STOCK!!!***
I signed up for an on line appointment, showed up 20 minutes early. The on-line process identified the need as a battery replacement for my iphone 6, which was registered and required me to log in to my itunes account.

When I arrived they would not check me in until 15 minutes before my appointment, so I waited. I got checked in, then waited for a technician. The technician showed up in about 5 minutes and informed me that they are ***OUT** of batteries! I asked how that could be since I had an appointment, and he told me that all the batteries were sold to walk-ins.

At that point i asked for a manager, and was told same things, and also that it was like going to a doctor, first the diagnosis, and then another appointment to fix the problem.

I couldnt disagree more with this approach, and felt that it should have gone like this:

1. Best case--battery reserved when appointment was made for battery replacement
2. Second Best--Email or text notification that batteries were out so please reschedule
3. Third Best--Offer free replacement when batteries are in stock

Instead, i just got a half-assed apology, a lecture about the doctors visit, and no battery replacement, despite the investment of two hours of my time and several train tickets.

For shame Apple!

 

[RealAppleFan]

***BATTERY REPLACEMENT WARNING--NO STOCK!!!***
I signed up for an on line appointment, showed up 20 minutes early. The on-line process identified the need as a battery replacement for my iphone 6, which was registered and required me to log in to my itunes account.

When I arrived they would not check me in until 15 minutes before my appointment, so I waited. I got checked in, then waited for a technician. The technician showed up in about 5 minutes and informed me that they are ***OUT** of batteries! I asked how that could be since I had an appointment, and he told me that all the batteries were sold to walk-ins.

At that point i asked for a manager, and was told same things, and also that it was like going to a doctor, first the diagnosis, and then another appointment to fix the problem.

I couldnt disagree more with this approach, and felt that it should have gone like this:

1. Best case--battery reserved when appointment was made for battery replacement
2. Second Best--Email or text notification that batteries were out so please reschedule
3. Third Best--Offer free replacement when batteries are in stock

Instead, i just got a half-assed apology, a lecture about the doctors visit, and no battery replacement, despite the investment of two hours of my time and several train tickets.

For shame Apple!

Here is my question - why wasn't a battery reserved for you? That's BS dude.

 

[Nor10]

***BATTERY REPLACEMENT WARNING--NO STOCK!!!***
I signed up for an on line appointment, showed up 20 minutes early. The on-line process identified the need as a battery replacement for my iphone 6, which was registered and required me to log in to my itunes account.

When I arrived they would not check me in until 15 minutes before my appointment, so I waited. I got checked in, then waited for a technician. The technician showed up in about 5 minutes and informed me that they are ***OUT** of batteries! I asked how that could be since I had an appointment, and he told me that all the batteries were sold to walk-ins.

At that point i asked for a manager, and was told same things, and also that it was like going to a doctor, first the diagnosis, and then another appointment to fix the problem.

I couldnt disagree more with this approach, and felt that it should have gone like this:

1. Best case--battery reserved when appointment was made for battery replacement
2. Second Best--Email or text notification that batteries were out so please reschedule
3. Third Best--Offer free replacement when batteries are in stock

Instead, i just got a half-assed apology, a lecture about the doctors visit, and no battery replacement, despite the investment of two hours of my time and several train tickets.

For shame Apple!

Thank you for sharing. Just Proves how Apple thinks of customers..."First Paid; First Screwed"...Apple doesn't have a plan because they don't think there is an issue on customer satisfaction on this issue and a myriad of others over the years...since Tim Cook took over the quality of software, product and services has been the worst in Apple history...So what will they do with the 256Billion Dollars in cash over seas???

 

[Act3]

***BATTERY REPLACEMENT WARNING--NO STOCK!!!***
I signed up for an on line appointment, showed up 20 minutes early. The on-line process identified the need as a battery replacement for my iphone 6, which was registered and required me to log in to my itunes account.

When I arrived they would not check me in until 15 minutes before my appointment, so I waited. I got checked in, then waited for a technician. The technician showed up in about 5 minutes and informed me that they are ***OUT** of batteries! I asked how that could be since I had an appointment, and he told me that all the batteries were sold to walk-ins.

At that point i asked for a manager, and was told same things, and also that it was like going to a doctor, first the diagnosis, and then another appointment to fix the problem.

I couldnt disagree more with this approach, and felt that it should have gone like this:

1. Best case--battery reserved when appointment was made for battery replacement
2. Second Best--Email or text notification that batteries were out so please reschedule
3. Third Best--Offer free replacement when batteries are in stock

Instead, i just got a half-assed apology, a lecture about the doctors visit, and no battery replacement, despite the investment of two hours of my time and several train tickets.

For shame Apple!

they need to fix the process and make it an option to schedule a battery replacement online and schedule according to store stock. Apple should have the technology to make that happen. They can tell me when a iPhone is in stock for local pickup, same should be for battery. I live 2 hrs from closest apple store, 5 of them all about same distance. Soonest appointment available was Monday, with most of them being next Wednesday. The only thing it allowed me to schedule was a REPAIR VISIT. I really don't want to make two, 4 hour roundtrip drives to get batteries replaced. Even worse would be mailing phone in and being with out it for who knows how long. I'm sure they are swamped right now for battery replacements.

 

[creediddy]

Let's do the math...

7/7 Plus = 14 months old
iPhone SE = 20 months old
6S/6S Plus = 26 moths old
6/6 Plus = 40 months old

If people bought these phones around the time of launch of course you will expect battery drain along with the updates that will slow performance. That's a given with technology. Apple can at least say that they support updates through these phones. Android can't say nada regarding updates and support for their phones.

 

[sevvere]

Unfortunately, 16M fewer Iphones sold in 2018 should be because of IOS archaic, artificial limitations then because of battery replacements. I literally just gave up on trying to transfer an audiobook from my android phone to my SE because I couldn’t remember the elaborate process I exercised last time I did it.

Also, in my opinion, Macrumors should show some “courage” and stop handling this subject with their apologist point of view.

stop calling it a “power management feature” and call it what it is: slowing down your device.

This vernacular juggling is boring. If i decide to take an action in which one effect is slowly down your device, and I give the go on that action .... I AM INTENTIONALLY SLOWING DOWN YOUR DEVICE .... because I have INTENTIONALLY taken an action that causes that to happen WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE.

Notice how Macrumors claim that the slowing down was an “inevitable side effect”

There is no such thing as a SIDE EFFECT. There are only EFFECTS. When you take a pill to stop your cough, the effect is that it stops your cough. If there is an additional effect that it makes you extremely tired, this is just ANOTHER EFFECT. ...... not a side effect. Both are the effects of this pill period. Also, the effect of extreme tiredness might be unwanted ... and even “inevitable” ... but a company can’t claim that they are not “intentionally” producing a medicine that also makes you tired because it’s a “side effect” .. when the very chemical they are using intrinsically DOES BOTH and to manufacture this chemical in pill form PRODUCES BOTH.

Apple is using semantics to squirt around this issue and Macrumors is carrying their water with their “watered down” articles.

Be aware of the talking points that is being pushed here. Macrumors is quick to point out that “some people have claimed that Apple is intentionally slowing down devices to push its customers to upgrade”

What this does is DIVERT the focus off of what we know for certain which is that Apple INTENTIONALLY SLOWS DOWN YOUR IPHONE .... and instead includes an unproven motive that they are doing it to push upgrades. Now, people are arguing over intent ... and NOT the action itself, and the narrative is manipulated into WHY Apple did what they did ... instead of WHAT they actually did.

 

[Nor10]

they need to fix the process and make it an option to schedule a battery replacement online and schedule according to store stock. Apple should have the technology to make that happen. They can tell me when a iPhone is in stock for local pickup, same should be for battery. I live 2 hrs from closest apple store, 5 of them all about same distance. Soonest appointment available was Monday, with most of them being next Wednesday. The only thing it allowed me to schedule was a REPAIR VISIT. I really don't want to make two, 4 hour roundtrip drives to get batteries replaced. Even worse would be mailing phone in and being with out it for who knows how long. I'm sure they are swamped right now for battery replacements.

The amount of money you are spending on gas exceeds the value; contact the Lawyers in the Lawsuits...

 

[JM]

Apple: "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."

Eee-yeah. Soldered Ram says Hi.

 

[ani4ani]

B.S! People will continue to buy new phones. Realistically, how many people actually buy new phones because of their slower performance?

Maybe folks who might have bought a new iPhone for the first time, might think twice in any event as a result of this issue, or perhaps would settle for a secondhand 6 or 7 (and an 8 or X in time) with a new battery? Either way I think it will impact sales.....at least for a “cycle” or until this issue becomes a distant memory (or surpassed by another scandal?)

Perhaps folks will simply hold onto their phones for longer if they perform like new?

 

[trifid]

Affected iPhones see throttling during times of peak power usage, such as when running a benchmark.

Do you have a source for this? My iPhone SE was almost always running around 600-900mhz even on idle, as soon as I changed the battery it jumped to 1800-1848mhz, and never goes down according CPUDasher.

And in real world usage, simple tasks like swiping down for spotlight or typing would suffer great amounts of stuttering/choppiness, scenarios where the phone is not using peak power. This is significantly reduced when installing a new battery.

This suggests the throttling is always on regardless of the power demand.

 

[likegadgets]

Bad experience at an Apple store. I already had a Genius appointment. Got there a bit early and confirmed all I wanted was a battery replacement. They made me wait 45 minutes to se a genius who filled paperwork, ran tests and told me he could order a battery - they did not have any. It would take 3 to 5 days to get one, then they expect me to go back to drop off the phone, and then go there a third time to pick it up. They have no mechanism to let you know until you see a Genius to inform you they have no batteries or a mechanism to set up a specific appointment at a time they have batteries. They may be learning - but I found that the Geniuses are today more arrogant than ever. The basically say We are Apple - take it or leave it. Sometimes I find these class actions objectionable and ridiculous, but they are one of the few tools to keep the bad behaviors or corporate arrogance in check. I see some governments have stricter consumer enforcement - sometimes that is needed as well.

 

[macTW]

Or, you know, it could lead to a doubling of sold phones.

Could can mean a lot of things, especially with pure speculation.