Apple's wait times for iPhone battery replacements actually increasing, says analyst
Even though Apple's iPhone battery replacement discounts are no longer in the news, and the company has theoretically had time to ramp up supply, wait times for replacements have actually worsened in the past few weeks, according to Barclays research.
While wait times typically fell between 2 and 4.5 weeks around the beginning of February, the average is now 3 to 4.5 weeks, said Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz, citing checks with Apple stores. The main culprits are said to be iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners, some of the most likely to be impacted by iOS battery throttling.
One store estimated waits between 9 and 10 weeks, or over two months for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus batteries.
AppleInsider spot checks showed a similar situation, with iPhone SE and iPhone 7 batteries available on the spot, and an average of 4.5 weeks for an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus battery. Availability of iPhone 6s family devices batteries varied wildly between immediately available and six weeks out.
In the wake of its admission that it slows down iPhones with chemically depleted or aged batteries, Apple dropped the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements from $79 to $29 through the end of 2018. It has also promised control and monitoring of throttling in iOS 11.3, with the feature currently in the beta releases.
Apple's battery replacement program continues throughout all of 2018.
On top of negative publicity, Apple is also facing government scrutiny and multiple lawsuits over its policies. In France the company is coping with accusations of so-called "planned obsolescence".
While wait times typically fell between 2 and 4.5 weeks around the beginning of February, the average is now 3 to 4.5 weeks, said Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz, citing checks with Apple stores. The main culprits are said to be iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners, some of the most likely to be impacted by iOS battery throttling.
One store estimated waits between 9 and 10 weeks, or over two months for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus batteries.
AppleInsider spot checks showed a similar situation, with iPhone SE and iPhone 7 batteries available on the spot, and an average of 4.5 weeks for an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus battery. Availability of iPhone 6s family devices batteries varied wildly between immediately available and six weeks out.
In the wake of its admission that it slows down iPhones with chemically depleted or aged batteries, Apple dropped the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements from $79 to $29 through the end of 2018. It has also promised control and monitoring of throttling in iOS 11.3, with the feature currently in the beta releases.
Apple's battery replacement program continues throughout all of 2018.
On top of negative publicity, Apple is also facing government scrutiny and multiple lawsuits over its policies. In France the company is coping with accusations of so-called "planned obsolescence".
Comments
There’s no evil Apple conspiracy, no intentional planned obsolescence, just the march of progress and the dancing between hardware and software to remain functional.
It's strange, because my girlfriend also has an iPhone6 and hers is fast as new, and we're both at the same iOS levels. She actually complains as to how slow it is when she borrows my phone to check something quickly.
Most of this is when the battery is at full charge too. I know it's not an Apple conspiracy. I don't feed into that, but there is something else going on. Perhaps my phone has something physically wrong with it and the OS is simply trying to work around it, or maybe the battery is just so old, I don't know.
I know a few that have similar problems on their iP6, I also know many that don't. It would just be nice to have a clear, concise reason as to why. I question whether installing a new battery is even going to make a difference. I don't want to wait weeks to get a new one, so I'm considering buying a new phone just so I can get some peace. I have had it for 3.5 years so it's done me well.
I'm going to get something new this fall so the IP6+ will be relegated to backup status and as my exercise monitor. I figure the new battery ought to last at least three years considering my current backup iPhone 5 only gets charged about once per month.
After replacing the battery, the CPU runs at full clockspeed at all times, and iOS 11 feels smooth and enjoyable.