“iPhone owners could cash in on a portion of over $1 billion in what lawyers are touting as Australia’s largest-ever class action, after tech giant Apple admitted to slowing down some phones,” Alana Mitchelson reports for The New Daily. “Australian compensation law firm Shine Lawyers confirmed to The New Daily on Friday that investigations have begun and it intends to file a class action against Apple in early 2018.”
“This has come a week after Apple’s admission that it has been slowing iPhone 7, 6, 6S and SE models during iOS upgrades – its explanation being to prolong battery life and ensure phones did not suddenly stop working, despite an overall slower user experience,” Mitchelson reports. “In part of its investigation, Shine alleged Apple’s behaviour ‘misled’ consumers into believing their iPhones were malfunctioning and caused them to upgrade to newer, more expensive models.”
“Jan Saddler, Shine Lawyers’ class-action expert, estimated more than five million Australians have been affected. She said that the total amount of compensation sought through the class action would likely be ‘well in excess of $1 billion,'” Mitchelson reports. “Similar legal action has been taken against Apple overseas, including eight lawsuits in the United States. Some of these lawsuits have also claimed the problem could have led to customers choosing to buy a new phone for a faster-performing device, arguing that the weak battery could have been replaced for a fraction of the cost.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s one thing to claim Apple intentionally withheld information in order to compel iPhone upgrades. It’s quite another to prove it in a court of law. Good luck with that, ambulance chasers!
And, so, it looks like we’re wrapping up the year, unfortunately, on the wholly-avoidable “batterygate” brouhaha. Apple shot themselves in the foot in typical uncommunicative fashion. May the company do much better on the communication and many other fronts in 2018 and beyond!
Now, beloved and cherished interns, commence Operation Multi-Tap! Not just one, but two kegs await! TGIF! 🙂
Happy Early New Year, everyone! Prost!
SEE ALSO:
The most annoying things about Apple’s iPhone ‘batterygate’ apology – December 29, 2017
iFixit discounts iPhone battery replacement kits as Apple cuts prices, apologizes for the confusion – December 29, 2017
15 class action lawsuits filed against Apple for throttling iPhones with aging batteries – December 29, 2017
Apple apologizes for poor communication about iPhone batteries and performance; slashes battery replacement cost from $79 to $29 – December 28, 2017
No, Apple’s throttling of iPhones with aging batteries is not planned obsolescence – December 28, 2017
Apple execs face jail in France after lawsuit over slowing down iPhones – December 28, 2017
Korea seeks explanation from Apple for slowing down devices without warning – December 28, 2017
Apple now facing 8 lawsuits over throttling processors in iPhones with aging batteries – December 27, 2017
Apple tarnished their brand with clandestine iPhone battery management and processor throttling – December 27, 2017
Should Apple replace aging iPhone batteries for free instead of throttling processor speed? – December 21, 2017
Apple confirms iPhones with older batteries will take hits in performance – December 20, 2017
iPhone performance and battery age – December 18, 2017
Apple met with Chinese regulators to discuss iPhone 6s unexpected shutdowns – February 10, 2017
Rumor: Apple may extend iPhone 6s battery replacement program to iPhone 6 – January 17, 2017
A message from Apple about iPhone and unexpected shutdowns – December 2, 2016
Apple offers free battery replacement for ‘very small number’ of iPhone 6s units with unexpected shutdown issue – November 21, 2016
