A Chinese consumer group demanded Apple take swift action to address complaints over impaired performance in older iPhones,Xinhua News Agency reported, as a backlash against the move spreads.
The Shanghai Consumer Council sent a letter to Apple after consumers reported older iPhones became sluggish after upgrading to iOS 10.2.1, the state-run news agency said. The group said complaints about Apple products and services increased to 2,615 in 2017, up from 964 in 2015, and called for the vendor to reply with details of what causes the slowdown and the remedies available by Friday (19 January).
Apple admitted late in December 2017 it had implemented a power management feature which slowed the performance of aging iPhones to extend their battery life. Earlier this month the vendor apologised for the action, slashing the price of replacement batteries and promising software updates to give users more information and visibility about battery health in their iPhones.
Global outcry
The Shanghai Consumer Council is not alone in scrutinising Apple. In the US, Senator John Thune, chairman of the US Senate Commerce Committee, is seeking answers from Apple CEO Tim Cook on how the company decided to implement the power management feature.
In France, Apple faces a probe by consumer protection agency HOP (Stop Programmed Obsolescence) which is overseen by the country’s finance ministry, while prosecutors opened an investigation into Apple for “potential deception and programmed obsolescence”. HOP alleged Apple tactically pressures customers to buy new phones by issuing software upgrades which cause a drop in the performance of older phones.
