Apple sued for damages over slowing old iPhones
What's the story
Apple has been charged with two class action lawsuits in the US for slowing down ageing iPhone models without informing users. The tech-giant confirmed the suspicions of several iPhone owners earlier this week, admitting that it does slow down older iPhones to "prolong" their life and optimize diminishing battery power. Users worldwide are seeing Apple's secret interference as a violation of their consumer rights.
Allegations
Apple under scanner for withholding material information from consumers
The cases have been filed in California and Chicago by iPhone users representing others. They say they have suffered economic damage and have been purposefully kept unaware about the ruinous effects of Apple updates on their phone's performance. Legal experts say if proven guilty, Apple would be charged for unlawful and decisive withholding of important information, a violation of consumer fraud-related legislation.
Quote
What does the lawyer have to say?
"Apple's failure to inform consumers these updates would wreak havoc on the phone's performance is being deemed purposeful, and if proven, constitutes the unlawful and decisive withholding of material information," said James Vlahakis, who is representing the plaintiffs in the Chicago case.
Details
How does Apple slow down iPhones?
Apple's iOS code has a secret power mode named Powerd, which is primarily responsible for the iPhones' performance slowdown. Powerd limits the maximum clock speed of the device's CPU and GPU when the battery is low. Though its failsafe ensures that iPhones don't heat up during usage, it painfully slows down the device as its battery gets old.