Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Crippling iPhone 4s With iOS 9 Update

[AFEPPL]

Just to note. I gave this story to MacRumors but it was ignored....

I made an official complaint to the UK ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), regarding Apple's marketing message indicating better performance using iOS 9.

The ASA upheld my complaint and forced Apple to change their marketing message in the UK on their website.

Here's the original message on Apple's website:

And the new one:

Aha! Note the annotation? Let's find out what Apple added...

6. Metal is supported on iPhone 5s or later, iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, iPad mini 2 or later, and iPod touch (6th generation).

Ref: http://www.apple.com/uk/ios/whats-new/

While it's not perfect, it's clear Apple have admitted to knowing iOS 9 does not offer any performance update on older iPad Mini's and I'm very glad the ASA upheld my complaint.

Apple are pushing it with this but they are screwing customers over and ultimately they should simply disallow slow performing iOS updates to older devices instead of bricking them which is what they're effectively doing.

Its good to see the people are still willing to make a stand, good on you.
do you have a link to the judgement?

 

[beanbaguk]

Its good to see the people are still willing to make a stand, good on you.
do you have a link to the judgement?

Sadly no as it was informally resolved by Apple.

However having said that, my complaint is listed (rather anonymously), here:

https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications.aspx?SearchTerms=apple#2

The date of my complaint was the 24th February 2016 but it doesn't say more than that.

Moreover, since it was informally resolved, I was asked by the ASA not to publish the correspondence else be in breach of confidentiality with them.

I don't think there is any need to take that stance as they are on our side.

 

[Reason077]

Ended up updating my iPad 2 and it now is basically unusable. I knew from reading reviews that performance would take a hit, but I updated after the last update which supposedly fixed a lot of the performance issues on the older devices.

I've kept my iPad 2 on iOS 6. The performance is great and the battery life is still good even after all these years.

But app compatibility is, of course, an issue. Fewer and fewer new app updates retain iOS 6 compatibility.

And now, even Safari is becoming problematic, with website compatibility issues starting to creep in and mysterious crashes becoming more frequent.

It's a shame Safari updates aren't available for old iOS versions!

 

[AFEPPL]

Shame the marketing is the only change and that apple have not started to sort out the bloat and problems that are causing the performance issue in the first place..

 

[C DM]

Just to note. I gave this story to MacRumors but it was ignored....

I made an official complaint to the UK ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), regarding Apple's marketing message indicating better performance using iOS 9.

The ASA upheld my complaint and forced Apple to change their marketing message in the UK on their website.

Here's the original message on Apple's website:

And the new one:

Aha! Note the annotation? Let's find out what Apple added...

6. Metal is supported on iPhone 5s or later, iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, iPad mini 2 or later, and iPod touch (6th generation).

Ref: http://www.apple.com/uk/ios/whats-new/

While it's not perfect, it's clear Apple have admitted to knowing iOS 9 does not offer any performance update on older iPad Mini's and I'm very glad the ASA upheld my complaint.

Apple are pushing it with this but they are screwing customers over and ultimately they should simply disallow slow performing iOS updates to older devices instead of bricking them which is what they're effectively doing.

Realistically speaking Metal is but one aspect of it all that they made a marketing point, it doesn't mean that without out a new iOS version doesn't contain a whole host of other things that are improved or that things are actually the opposite and are worse because it's not there. In fact, if you look through the iOS 9 forum where you will notice that a lot of visual glitches and lag (as in worse performance) are actually suspected to be there on various devices due to what is potentially a worse implementation of it all with Metal. So, in a sense, devices that don't support Metal might actually be avoiding something that isn't working as well as it could or should and are this affected by one less potential issue.

 

[Dirtyharry50]

I cannot recall if I responded to this thread earlier on or not but I updated to iOS 9 when it released on my iPhone 4s and I have had no performance issues at all. So if it did not brick my iPhone I have a hard time believing that it did it to any iPhone. I cannot speak to the effect on any particular older iPad as I do not own one however I am skeptical that it bricked any supported hardware. I'm inclined to think isolated configuration issues of devices in use in varying ways over varying periods of time with various apps installed and data present could have led to issues but by the same token I would suspect that a full reset of an affected device would probably be helpful in most such cases.

It is virtually impossible even with Apple's closed environments to release an operating system into the wild without running into some configuration and/or other unexpected problems.

I think what Apple does need to do is offer an easily accessible way to back up to a previous version if things go south for any reason. The failure to provide this option is something I think can legitimately be criticized.

Otherwise, I find it hard to take seriously posts that seem to assert Apple is somehow unconcerned with screwing their own customers or worse yet deliberately misleads them into unsatisfactory outcomes. Of what possible benefit would that be to a company that prides itself on innovation, quality and excellent industry leading user experiences?

I'm not taking this stance as simply a mindless fanboy. I am just taking a fair and honest look at this. I would not feel differently if my iPhone had suffered performance or other problems because I understand that software like the people who make it even under the best possible conditions is not and will not likely ever be perfect. What I do expect is for the company to make it right when things do go wrong and thus far in my experience Apple has been very good to me in the case of some problems I have had that included a full iMac system replacement. They made that trouble free, fast and it cost me zero. That was the best they could do there and it was fine too. I wound up with a nicer and newer model year iMac than the failed one they replaced for me at no charge with overnight shipping both directions.

So that's where I am coming from in my response to this. They are not some evil empire out to screw us. I doubt they had any problem at all in providing that clarification which heads off problems not just for consumers but for them as well. Before seeing this thread I noticed that same qualifying statement elsewhere in my travels on the US Apple Store I think it was but it might have been elsewhere. In any case, I'm in the US and the info I was looking at applied to an ad for a device here. Perhaps the above efforts reminded them it would be good to add the same language on this side of the pond.
[doublepost=1459359553][/doublepost]I forgot to mention, I've liked the improved battery life the update provided. It's been noticeable here.

Time for a new one now at last though. The new iPhone SE is perfect for me and will be a fantastic upgrade to what I am used to.