Apple confirms battery issues with some iPhone 5s units, blames manufacturing error

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
An small number of iPhone 5s owners are experiencing problems with their new handsets, seeing markedly shorter battery life than Apple's advertised specifications.

iPhone 5s


In a statement to The New York Times on Tuesday, Apple confirmed that a production issue affected a small number of iPhone 5s units, which could cause the units to suffer from reduced battery performance.

"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Apple spokesperson Teresa Brewer. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."

Apple declined to elaborate on the specific manufacturing flaw, but is supposedly not a defective battery. The company also did not say how many handsets are affected, though the publication interpreted the statement as referring to "a few thousand" iPhones.

In the past, Apple has dealt with a variety of battery-related problems, the most recent being an unexpected shutdown issue with some MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. The company released a firmware update to solve the problem, though the iPhone 5s situation appears to be hardware related.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    How soon till the class action lawsuit is filed?
  • Reply 2 of 18
    "Listen we're not perfect..." Now for some sarcasm: battery-gate¡
  • Reply 3 of 18
    I got my 5S a few days after they went on sale and noticed battery life that was about half that of my three-year old iPhone 4 and was a bit worried. Certainly the first day was the worst as it was busy restoring apps and my iCloud backup but battery life three or four days in was still poor. I'm not sure what's changed, but in the past week my battery life has been phenomenal.

    Perhaps those moaning about their battery consumption should give it a few days to settle down? Or maybe go in and shut down some services (including location) that typically kill the battery?
  • Reply 4 of 18
    cash907cash907 Posts: 893member
    That must be a pretty large "small" number if they're actually fessing up to it, considering how they normally respond to defects.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    What do we think the definition of alarming battery life problems is in the context of an iPhone? At what point should I challenge the quality of my battery?
  • Reply 6 of 18
    An unexpected... ... ...what?? You left me on a cliff hanger lol
  • Reply 7 of 18
    kind of a non-story isn’t it? And the way the headline is written, it almost sounds like Apple is being dodgy about it... making bad excuses, or something.

    At least you didn’t say Apple “admits to" battery issues. Like they’d been denying them or something (I see this a lot from the Apple-negative press).

    When Apple sees a common thread, they work to immediately identify and correct it. The first step obviously is to see if it’s a simple, updateable issue via software or firmware. When they find a production issue like this, and they fix it, at the same time offering those few affected customers replacements, that is what sets Apple apart.

    Shouldn’t headlines here reflect the kind of resolution already applied in this case? More like:

    Apple Confirms and Corrects Battery Issues With Some iPhone 5s Units, Offers Replacements For Affected Handsets.

    Oh, but then there’d be no need for an article I guess...
  • Reply 8 of 18
    Well said
  • Reply 9 of 18
    You make millions of something and you are bound to have a bad batch here and there. That is what warranties are for.
  • Reply 10 of 18
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Masteric View Post



    You make millions of something and you are bound to have a bad batch here and there. That is what warranties are for.

     

    But don't you know, Apple is held to a different standard. When they make a misstep, all hell rains down upon them from the media and the haters.

     

    I mean, sure, you expect it from the haters, but there is definitely a double standard out there.

  • Reply 11 of 18

    Want to earn money & help your family without going anywhere.........I make $60h - $92h...how? I'm working online now its ur turn to make money at home...................... Buzz55.?om 

    Just open Home tab nd make money

  • Reply 12 of 18
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Not going to be waiting for my recall email: I routinely clear 10 hours with my 5s so I expect the identified batch doesn't include mine.

  • Reply 13 of 18
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rob55 View Post

     

     

    But don't you know, Apple is held to a different standard. When they make a misstep, all hell rains down upon them from the media and the haters.

     

    I mean, sure, you expect it from the haters, but there is definitely a double standard out there.


     

    Apple and every Apple fan claims that Apple hold themselves to a higher standard.  I guess it's ok for them to claim it, but not ok for people to call them on it?  The more Apple and fanbois trash talk the competition and draw attention to themselves, the more it will come back to bite them when Apple has issues of their own.  No double standard here.  Don't act like Apple fanbois aren't doing the same thing with Microsoft and Samsung products every time those companies announce something.

  • Reply 14 of 18
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Haggar View Post

     

     

    Apple and every Apple fan claims that Apple hold themselves to a higher standard.  I guess it's ok for them to claim it, but not ok for people to call them on it?  The more Apple and fanbois trash talk the competition and draw attention to themselves, the more it will come back to bite them when Apple has issues of their own.  No double standard here.  Don't act like Apple fanbois aren't doing the same thing with Microsoft and Samsung products every time those companies announce something.


    What's there to call them on?

     

    ""We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Apple spokesperson Teresa Brewer. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone.""

     

    They're correcting the issue on their own initiative. That's behavior to laud, not "call them on it".

  • Reply 15 of 18
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    jfc1138 wrote: »
    What's there to call them on?

    ""We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Apple spokesperson Teresa Brewer. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone.""

    They're correcting the issue on their own initiative. That's behavior to laud, not "call them on it".

    Exactly. Plus, probably having those responsible shot ;)
  • Reply 16 of 18
    I bet if you do have to get a replacement you will get one of those 2nd hand unit they give out. Unless your Chinese of course.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    spydasweb wrote: »
    I bet if you do have to get a replacement you will get one of those 2nd hand unit they give out. Unless your Chinese of course.

    R-i-i-ight, and what “second hand units” would those be? This is mostly a negative narrative created by competitors.

    That said, I personally wouldn’t complain much if I received a “same as new” Apple-refurbished phone from them to replace a months-old “used” phone that wasn’t working.

    I had problems with my original iPhone (1st gen) about 6 months after purchasing it. They replaced it with a NEW (not refurbished) handset. So I don’t know where this other mythology of yours comes from.
  • Reply 18 of 18

    Really bad battery life is a 5 day old iPhone 5s with a battery that only charges from 17% to 39% after being plugged in for more than 12 hours.  If you aren't sure if your phone is one of these, it isn't.  These phones are VERY easy to identify.

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