French Consumer Fraud Group Investigating Apple for 'Alleged Deception' and 'Planned Obsolescence'

[MrNomNoms]

So, are we going to see Android vendors also investigated as well - Samsung throwing customers under the bus only a few months after launching a new phone? are we going to see Chromebook vendors investigated about how laptops months after a new release of ChromeOS is made that they still haven't received the update? If they confine it to just Apple then to me it looks like singling out Apple but if they are going to conduct a industry wide investigation which, IMHO needs to be done, then I'm all for it.

 

[Ladybug]

I will likely wait until Oct. or later to get my 6S battery changed. I already purchased a new iPhone 8 so I'm in no rush. The 6S will become my backup phone. Hubby has a 6 but we likely won't replace the battery in that one because the screen needs repair and he too has a new 8. Hopefully by that time Apple will have enough batteries in stock. Did I mention we have to drive 140 miles round trip to get this done.

 

[OllyW]

You are an Apple employee or engineer and know that for a fact do you? What solid proof do you have?

It says so on the Apple website.

 

[macsrcool1234]

They are not forcing you to buy the product. If you like the price and product buy it, if you don't like it don't buy it. It's called choice. Next time vote with your wallet but no one or no company owes you anything because you think the price is too much for a phone.



You are an Apple employee or engineer and know that for a fact do you? What solid proof do you have? I had an iPhone 6 that was great until I bought my X. This is technology dude, stuff happens sometimes that is out of control of the manufacturer.

The iOS API reports that data.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Yeah thats right. Batteries who's chemistry is failing over time is now
'Planned Obsolescence'
More like planned cash grab.

Apple is so big that there really was no way to announce this without it melting down. I agree there might have been a better way to do it but I guarantee you it would also have been fought with fire.

It is if the battery is a fixed part of the iPhone. If it could be popped out the onus is on the user to change it when it's out of warranty.

 

[RedKite]

I hope they get hit hard. I’m done with Apple now but should they improve I’m certainly open to returning to buying their products. Life’s too short to **** around with dodgy companies.

 

[Smartass]

Apple IS going to lose billions, and billions, and billions when they begin losing each and every single one of these lawsuits. Free iPhones or refunded money for most of Europe - their laws favor the consumer, it’s nothing like America. Though they will lose the US lawsuits as well.

Tim Cook is out as CEO before 2019. Quote me for posterity!

They'll most likely be also losing a lot of customers. The "poop" has hit the fan and people are more and more fed up with crap that Apple's been serving lately.
[doublepost=1515501320][/doublepost]

Much ado about nothing. Apple seems to be getting kicked in the teeth for trying to do something for user. They should just put a on/off switch (off by default) on the feature and call it a day.

What? Do something for the user? The only thing Apple has done for the users is throttle their phones to the point that people bought a new phone, thinking their old one was just slow. This "30$ battery replacement" is here just because they tried to dodge lawsuits around the world. They are doing NOTHING for the users, they are only saving their asses.

 

[Substance90]

Man, it's funny how Apple apologists always find an explanation.

 

[TiggrToo]

What pisses me off more than anything about the French move is how one-sided it is. If Apple is guilty of planned obsolescence of their devices then the entire freaking industry is guilty of the same. Very very few people keep smartphones longer than around 2 years - Blackberry, Windows, Android and Apple - by and large their entire user base switches devices on a bi-annual basis or thereabouts.

And there's NOTHING here that forces you the consumer to buy another Apple device if you get pissed off. When Motorola\Google did it to me with the Nexus 6 battery issues (where yes, my phone did power down at 50% just because I fired up Waze) I migrated to Apple.

Every single one of the people here screaming for blood is being a total and utter hypocrite. If you're posting here then you're already someone with at least half a clue on Smartphones and, as Smartphone users, we know the limitations on Smartphone batteries since they've been there for years and years. The only Smartphones that lasted longer where the old Blackberry devices which were so amazingly slow it would take 2 minutes just to fire up a web page with Google Maps.

If Apple are guilty of anything it's lack of communication - and yes, this is where they failed miserably. That said, having been through the alternative, I fully and absolutely support their decision to slow down devices to prevent random shutdowns - my 7 Plus included. However if lack of communication is a crime then put the entire planet in prison for that's someone every single one of us is guilty of.

France is doing what France does best, attempt to look like the here when in actuality it hides behind the curtain of arrogant ignorance.

If France has any cojones they'd sue Google, HTC, LG, Sony, Samsung and more as well for they ALL are guilty of the crime Apple stands accused of.

 

[PG(Austin)]

Apple is so big that there really was no way to announce this without it melting down. I agree there might have been a better way to do it but I guarantee you it would also have been fought with fire.

Or they could have, I dunno, told up front what they were doing to our devices? Maybe? And I dunno, given me the ability to make the choice of power/length of battery life or performance. I'm just spit ballin' here...and I wouldn't have fought that with fire. I'd have been far more understanding and then have my battery changed.

Nothing good comes from withholding information that will come out one day and look really bad that it was withheld. Especially from a high profile company like Apple.

They talk about looking out for the customers and privacy and all that, but this is clear why they didn't say anything about this update in regards to what it did. They MAY have meant well but that's why you don't keep information from consumers. Instead they just went on their way collecting more money from people who assume the device has reached it's life's end. Schiller talked about being courageous removing the headphone jack, how about being courageous and telling people that their phone may slow down and here is a switch you can turn that feature off if you choose, or buy a new battery, or buy a new phone. But no, they let everyone think it was time for a new phone. I know I did. How noble it was of them to look out for us like that though. They had no other interest other than being altruistic, right?

And of course, Apple knows what the rest of us want already, right? We don't want a headphone jack, we want the "thinnest lightest phone they've ever made" (that way it's easier to drop and replace) and of course we want our phones to slow down for no apparent (to us) reason other than it just needs replaced.

Apple creates these kinds of lawsuits and investigations all on its own. I don't feel sorry for them. They are a company of very smart people, nothing is ever NOT planned.

But Apple, to take a quote from SpaceX, "Of course I still love you"

 

[I7guy]

They'll most likely be also losing a lot of customers. The "poop" has hit the fan and people are more and more fed up with crap that Apple's been serving lately.
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What? Do something for the user? The only thing Apple has done for the users is throttle their phones to the point that people bought a new phone, thinking their old one was just slow. This "30$ battery replacement" is here just because they tried to dodge lawsuits around the world. They are doing NOTHING for the users, they are only saving their asses.

Apple might lose some customers vs lots of customers. My own opinion is I would rather have a functioning phone. Transparency not “planned obsolescence “ is the issue, imo.

 

[newellj]

Based on videos of iPhone speed tests between OSs (and personal experience) it's pretty obvious that the phones suffer from excessive slowdowns over time.

Sorry... pathetic! Jump to 3:04

And while we're at it, I want to tell the world how pissed I am that Microsoft has used planned obsolescence to kill my old 486 Dell, which was one of the best PCs I have owned. It was state of the art when it was introduced in 1989 and there's no reason it shouldn't run Windows 10, and run well, today.

 

[DNichter]

Make phones last longer = planned obsolescence... right. Makes complete sense. Everyone looking for a handout.

 

[TiggrToo]

And of course, Apple knows what the rest of us want already, right? We don't want a headphone jack, we want the "thinnest lightest phone they've ever made" (that way it's easier to drop and replace)

They took a gamble with the headphone jack and people still brought it in droves - so I guess they were right. Airpods are flying off the shelves so fast they still can't keep them in stock.

Listen, we're all consumers - we buy something because we have free will. Or someone point a gun at your head when you purchased your last device?

Apple are free to sell any device they feel fit; it's up to the market to say yes or no to that device. Sounds like the X may be one that the market is NOT happy with - well, that's all on Apple for creating a phone that is a step too far when it comes to price and features.

and of course we want our phones to slow down for no apparent (to us) reason other than it just needs replaced.

And I ask you and EVERYONE else here who states that to prove that statement with FACTS. Y'all that assuming that that was the single reason because of what - it makes sense to you?

Sure Motorola thought that when they did the exact inverse with my Nexus 6 that powered down at 50% battery, right?

 

[Phonephreak]

And while we're at it, I want to tell the world how pissed I am that Microsoft has used planned obsolescence to kill my old 486 Dell, which was one of the best PCs I have owned. It was state of the art when it was introduced in 1989 and there's no reason it shouldn't run Windows 10, and run well, today.

Horrible comparison. Asking a 20 year old pc to running run current OS is silly this is the last 3 models of Iphones. I could deal with the 6 only getting throttled. This is a battery issues that Apple is covering up or even worse a design flaw.

I understand battery’s get old. But should last more than a year. Remember the biggest problem people have is the shady way it was handled. Morals go out the door when money could be lost. Geniuses were telling people their battery’s were fine. When they weren’t and didn’t suggest a new battery. They actually refused to replace my sons 6s battery and I offered to pay from for it.

 

[Grey Area]

Apple started the entire trend with non-user replaceable batteries, both in phones, tablets and computers.
It is one of the worst trends Apple has ever created. No other device had a non-user replaceable battery until the original iPhone was launched.

While this is not entirely true (I was already annoyed by electric shavers with non-replaceable batteries long before Apple used them everywhere), I wholeheartedly agree that this is a terrible trend and that Apple is to blame for its pervasiveness.

 

[Piggie]

They know how to do it, it’s not hard: just make removable back plates that would make the phone thicker, flimsier and less waterproof. It’s not a choice they want to make, because most users probably prefer these things to replacing the batteries themselves.

How come Tupperware can make plastic food containers with removable lids, that are 100% waterproof?
Perhaps Apple should call the Tupperware experts over to teach them how do do it!

 

[melendezest]

That Apple has planned obsolescence in their (current products') DNA is not a surprise for those who actually consider purchases on more than just brand name.

I believe the deal here is that Apple doesn't want to admit it openly, which is what the lawsuit will force them to do, in a way.

So while we as customers have always had a choice, Apple stands to lose customers that place a high regard to the company's reputation.

Personally I chose to stop buying when they started removing key features (back in 2011 when the soldering began on Macs), and leaving something obvious out so you wait for next year's upgrade.

The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone (my Note 8 has a large screen, small bezels, haptic feedback, an internally-stored pen, is waterproof, AND has a headphone jack. WTF).

That's when I realized for sure I'm probably never coming back to Apple once my Macs die.

 

[KmanOz]

And of course, Apple knows what the rest of us want already, right? We don't want a headphone jack, we want the "thinnest lightest phone they've ever made" (that way it's easier to drop and replace) and of course we want our phones to slow down for no apparent (to us) reason other than it just needs replaced.

What the hell are you on about? The headphone jack still ??????????? Really ????????? That's right THEY DO KNOW what people want. Someone has to drive change. Basically if you were working for them (and thank christ you don't) everything would just stay the same. NO THANKS. All the people that bought iPhones without a headphone jack DONT CARE. People like you harp on like a broken record (which incidentally was replaced by a CD). Get on with it, stop worrying about a little stupid jack that was invented 40 years ago and ran it's race. The future is wireless and Apple are driving the future. Samsung are sticking to the jack only because so much of their marketing was based on the fact that the Apple removed it. it will be removed one day, mark my words. Will you give them a hard time when it happens, or is that just limited to Apple. The human race is broken if everyone thought like you.

 

[newdeal]

Apples excuse just doesn't add up. The amount of power that the CPU uses isn't really that much, if they were concerned about a massive power draw causing the phone to shut down as they say then the phone would shut down when the display turns on with these units as that is the largest draw. However the display in fact turns on just fine without causing the phone to spontaneously shut down. Or if you had the display on and the GPS running. Downclocking the arm cpu isn't going to provide them with what they are claiming that they are trying to accomplish

 

[KmanOz]

The iOS API reports that data.

If you are delving into the iOS API I'd say you're the genius. Personally I don't care but considering you seem to, buy a phone with a battery that has higher cycles.

 

[convergent]

So, are we going to see Android vendors also investigated as well - Samsung throwing customers under the bus only a few months after launching a new phone? are we going to see Chromebook vendors investigated about how laptops months after a new release of ChromeOS is made that they still haven't received the update? If they confine it to just Apple then to me it looks like singling out Apple but if they are going to conduct a industry wide investigation which, IMHO needs to be done, then I'm all for it.

No other vendor has attempted to cover up a design problem by throttling down the CPU in secret. All the other major smartphone OEMs have said that they do not throttle their products when the battery ages, probably because they don't need to. What Apple did is very deceptive and probably covering up a design problem that might be better served with a recall. That is not the same thing as a vendor deciding to no longer provide updates for old products, which Apple and every other vendor has always done. And show me were Samsung has done this after "a few months".

They are singling out Apple because Apple is the only one that has been found to be doing this.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

What the hell are you on about? The headphone jack still ??????????? Really ????????? That's right THEY DO KNOW what people want. Someone has to drive change. Basically if you were working for them (and thank christ you don't) everything would just stay the same. NO THANKS. All the people that bought iPhones without a headphone jack DONT CARE. People like you harp on like a broken record (which incidentally was replaced by a CD). Get on with it, stop worrying about a little stupid jack that was invented 40 years ago and ran it's race. The future is wireless and Apple are driving the future. Samsung are sticking to the jack only because so much of their marketing was based on the fact that the Apple removed it. it will be removed one day, mark my words. Will you give them a hard time when it happens, or is that just limited to Apple. The human race is broken if everyone thought like you.

You know the whole discussion is about consumer devices right? The human race is broken if everyone thought the same about a headphone jack in an iPhone? Really? Calm down.. The human race has other more urgent matters to worry about.

 

[convergent]

Apples excuse just doesn't add up. The amount of power that the CPU uses isn't really that much, if they were concerned about a massive power draw causing the phone to shut down as they say then the phone would shut down when the display turns on with these units as that is the largest draw. However the display in fact turns on just fine without causing the phone to spontaneously shut down. Or if you had the display on and the GPS running. Downclocking the arm cpu isn't going to provide them with what they are claiming that they are trying to accomplish

I don't think that turning on the screen is the biggest power draw on a phone.

 

[aevan]

How come Tupperware can make plastic food containers with removable lids, that are 100% waterproof?
Perhaps Apple should call the Tupperware experts over to teach them how do do it!

Yes, didn’t think of that. Because Tupperware and phones are similar.