DGCCRF, France’s consumer watchdog for competition and fraud, fined Apple €25 million (US$27.3 million) for intentionally slowing the performance older iPhones (via France24).
Planned Obsolescence
In 2017 Apple admitted that iOS was intentionally slowing the performance of the iPhone under certain conditions to preserve aging batteries. Critics accused the company of “planned obsolescence” and said Apple was doing it to get people to upgrade to a newer iPhone.
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In 2018 French prosecutors opened an inquiry at the request of the Halt Planned Obsolescence (HOP) association. Apple agreed to pay the fine without fighting it in court:
Our goal has always been to create secure products appreciated by our clients, and making iPhones that last as long as possible is an important part of that.
Further Reading
[Dear World: Apple Slowing Down iPhones with Degraded Batteries Is NOT Planned Obsolescence]
Discussion