Consumer champion is suing Apple for £ 768 million over a software update in 2017 that effectively slowed down older iPhones.
Justin Gutman is seeking compensation on behalf of up to 25 million iPhone owners in the UK who have been affected by Apple’s practices.
Apple has admitted that a software update released in 2017 hampers device performance, although it claims the software is designed to protect the phone’s battery life.
Critics have accused the company of deliberately reducing the efficiency of older models to get customers to buy newer ones.
Earlier, the company paid $ 113 million to settle a similar case in Arizona and $ 500 million to settle another in California.
Mr Gutmann’s appeal was lodged with the Competition Appeals Tribunal, the UK’s specialized judicial body, which hears cases concerning anti-competitive market practices.
This is a denial claim – which means that people who have owned the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X do not need to actively join case to seek compensation.
“Instead of doing something honest and legal with its customers and offering free replacement, repair or compensation, Apple has instead misled people by hiding a tool in software updates that slowed their devices by up to 58%,” Mr Gutman said. .
“I’m starting this case so that millions of iPhone users in the UK will be compensated for the damage caused by Apple’s actions.
“If this case is successful, I hope that the dominant companies will re-evaluate their business models and refrain from this kind of behavior,” he added.
The scandal erupted after a study by a Reddit user who claimed that Apple’s technology automatically slows down phones when the battery has a reduced charging capacity.
Apple acknowledged that it had caused the problem and apologized for the apparent decline.
In a statement, the company explained that as the lithium-ion batteries used in its phones age, they become less able to provide the highest required levels of electricity.
“Peak power problems occur especially when the batteries are cold or low,” which can cause the device to shut down unexpectedly to protect its electronic components, “Apple said.
Lithium-ion batteries lose their capacity over time due to the physical wear of ions passing through the battery material.
But iPhone users have complained that their devices shut down abruptly, even when they have a significant amount of charge left.
The company eventually said it would replace consumers’ batteries with a reduced price for a limited time and would also introduce a feature that allows consumers to turn off the power management tool.
The company said it never has and will never do anything to deliberately shorten the life of the product. Its CEO, Tim Tuck, publicly apologized, saying Apple had not tried to mislead anyone with the software.
However, Mr Gutmann claims that Apple has not done enough to inform customers about its battery replacement service and that the company has abused its market dominance.
Apple has not commented on the new lawsuit.
Add Comment