Apple Apple: Yes, we're slowing down older iPhones

IMHO, it is a bad idea. Even if Apples intentions are good, no one is going to believe that it was not a marketing ploy to sell a newer device.




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Yay, everybody will get a $8.17 or so and some lawyers will get $$$$

 

Hmm, I wonder if I will get the $8.17 for my 6s and another $8.17 for my 7 +.

Here is Apple’s response:
https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/

 

The most important part of the response:

• Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by $50 — from $79 to $29 — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January and available worldwide through December 2018. Details will be provided soon on apple.com.

 

My out of warranty 6s had the battery replaced once free sometime early this year. There were a certain batch that had questionable battery and mine fell into that. I believe we had 2 years from the date of purchase to do it.

I am not noticing any slowdown on either phone, so waiting to see what transpires.


Sent from my iPhone 7 Plus

 

The way I understand it is you have all of 2018 to do it and if you're planning on selling off your 7+ sometime this fall perhaps you should swap the battery right before then.

 

This will be interesting, looking forward to it.
“Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.”

My 7+ is under warranty until February 16, but if the battery does need replacement, pushing it back to the end of the year makes the most sense.


Sent from my iPhone 7 Plus

 

I think there are already some apps that will show you the CPU clock speed and if it's lower than what your model is supposed to have then it is a case of the "battery affecting performance". But it'll definitely be much nicer to have that built in.

 

I wonder if people had no slow down and poorer battery life...then they would
complain about that. It’s a sticky wicked for any tech company. How to hide the reality of tech life, and second guessing what a consumer would prefer, given the general ignorance of the user population. I don’t mean that as a criticism. I know the answer would be to allow the user to decide. But then how does one quantify that for the user? Are you sending texts mostly or solving quadratic equations on your smartphone?

Is there anything in these stories where Apple gives a percentage decrease? And how much is really new iOS vs battery slow down?

I suppose I rather have a 2 year Apple Care product that doesn’t include the battery ( current) , then a more expensive Apple Care that does. That because I get a new phone every year.


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There are options for Apple.
Make phones with removable batteries.
Be clear in their communication with customers.
Stop insisting they always knows what's best for us.

I don't expect any of these.

 

I still haven’t seen any numbers on % slowdowns. Exploring a little bit on-line I did learn a few things.

1. It was only implemented last year with the 6. With iOS 10.2.1, so it’s NOT an explanation for all iPhones conspiracy theories over 8 years.
2. It is not a continuous slowdown, but only during peak usage. To prevent shutdowns
3. If it is used at all, depends only where you are in the lifecycle ( 500 charges) of the battery.
4. If your phone is plugged in, it’s not likely to be affected, obviously. ( sort of like your processing speed changing on your laptop, when not plugged in).

5. Still can’t find a percentage change of slow down. Probably because it’s seems more of a smoothing function than an absolute, as explained below.

6. The guys doing the class action lawsuit are all wet in ignorance. If you read their complaint.

7. Doesn’t seem to be part of the Plus series???

From the linked article below.

“Apple implemented these features last year in iOS 10.2.1.

When an iPhone's battery health starts to decline, the battery is not capable of supplying enough power to the iPhone in times of peak processor usage, which can lead to shutdowns, Apple says.
"Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."

The lawsuit seemingly misrepresents Apple's original statement and suggests the plaintiffs and their lawyers do not understand Apple's explanation for how iPhone power management features work and why they were implemented, given the lawsuit's suggestion that it's tied to the release of new devices. As explained by Apple, when certain iPhone models hit a peak of processor power, a degraded battery is sometimes unable to provide enough juice, leading to a shutdown. Apple says it "smooths out" these peaks by limiting the power draw from the battery or by spreading power requests over several cycles.

Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time by nature, and this eventual wearing out addressed by the power management features is unrelated to the release of new iPhone models. “

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/21/apple-lawsuit-slowing-down-old-iphone-models/

I’m not trying to be an isheep, but sometimes engineering common sense is the explanation and not malicious intent. Our newer phones have such enormous power demands, and yet the battery power per unit volume has not changed over the years. Only the phones have become larger, which is a savings grace, since it allows a larger, beefy battery. Maybe that is why the Plus series are not listed as being affected???

Given that it’s been in place for just a year, Apple is being pretty reasonably transparent, imho. Could very well be that after a year of use more statistics will be gathered to show whether it is useful or not. Or if any one really notices the speed change. I would notice if my phone started shutting down however.







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Even if Apples intentions are good, no one is going to believe that it was not a marketing ploy to sell a newer device.