Apple should have a standard program like this UP FRONT. I agree with them auto enabling low power mode but they should also have had instruction to replace battery at a reasonable price which now they have. IMO it was too late for a 1st class company.
“Apple should have a standard program like this UP FRONT”
It already has: it is called Genius Bar or Authorized Service Provider.
“IMO it was too late for a 1st class company.”
Too late for what? Has Apple failed to provide support with its established support organization as imposed by the law?
Unusual slowness is a standalone support issue on its own. It can arise from myriad of reasons: battery defect, logic board defect, water, drop, rogue process... The essential is the user applying to appropriate channels for support.
Nobody has mentioned the biggest impact of all: $29 battery upgrades. Apple just nuked the 3rd party repair / upgrade market.
All the independent 'iCrap fixit' shops will be wiped out; they can't compete with Apple's $29 (with installation) battery replacement price - a price below Apple's cost and possibly an anti-trust violation (restraint of trade).
Plus, you have to endure the torture of going to an Apple Store to receive the upgrade, not to mention the smug derision you experience when running the Genurd Bar gauntlet while they insure that your device 'qualifies' for the discounted upgrade.
That's ok, while you're waiting, you can check out the nifty new iPhone X....
Apple - our goal is not to provide complete Reset of IOS device in "Settings" so when new user don't have previous user's appleid, Apple will lock down(Activation Lock) IOS device disabling/bricked forcing user to discard and buy new one. Very clever Apple. Why Apple never provided steps on there web site or on IOS device which we are asking for the last many years. Give us ONE option like "Settings->General->Reset->Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" so before passing IOS
device to next/new user, current user just use it to completely clean
device so the device acts like Brand new setup.
Apple - our goal is not to provide complete Reset of IOS device in "Settings" so when new user don't have previous user's appleid, Apple will lock down(Activation Lock) IOS device disabling/bricked forcing user to discard and buy new one. Very clever Apple. Why Apple never provided steps on there web site or on IOS device which we are asking for the last many years. Give us ONE option like "Settings->General->Reset->Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" so before passing IOS
device to next/new user, current user just use it to completely clean
device so the device acts like Brand new setup.
You meant for theif to be able to completely wipe your device that easily? You actually want that?
I said from day one when this first errupted this would be a huge PR problem for Apple. I wasn’t wrong. This is a good step though I agree with Ben Bajarin the $29 battery price should be permanent. Also I’m seeing quite a few posts from people saying their phone was fine with iOS 10 but when they upgraded to iOS 11 it really started to slow down. Seems there’s more issues than just the battery. Hopefully future point releases will fix these issues.
That huge PR problem exists in your wild imagination. No serious engineer talks without getting the results of the tests, benchmarks and other analysis. And Apple is managed by a serious engineer.
Ha, if it only exists in my imagination why did Apple release a statement? Why did they reduce the price of a battery replacement by $50? Why are they adding new features to iOS to give customers more visibility to the health of their battery? This was a huge PR issue that has affected Apple’s reputation and people’s trust in the company. You have have your head in the sand if you think otherwise.
Because it’s easier to spend money to change the narrative than trying to fix rampant misinformation and recall the distorted narrative that’s already out there.
Easier , to accept you did not communicate properly and that some people may feel hurt by this error, and fix the perception issue to what amount as buying the peace. Letting the narrative, no matter how false it is, escalate further, may have damaged the brand which is far more costly.
What’s the false narrative? That they were throttling phones without alerting the user?
Man, you are being obtuse, the fucking "conspiracy" and so called planned fucking obsolescence. You know the one that got a grandstanding shithead in France to wail and moan and half the Android tit suckers to jump and down and sing and repeat with glee the same message.
You do know that fracking throttling without alerting the user occurs ALL THE TIME IN FRACKING PHONES / PCs / LAPTOPS, WATCHES. Thermal throttling under load is hella similar to this huh except it happens right from the start instead of being progressive.
In fact, I kinda assumed throttling in response to battery degradation already was occuring cause that's what I would have done as an engineering decision (I am an engineer).
When it comes to Apple, there is always a clickbait narrative going even if nothing at all is actually wrong, remember "bendgate", "antennagate", whinegate, whatevegate...
Just a simple question to you - Why can't you make your point politely without throwing tantrums against those who have a different opinion than you?
It is always the same type of replies I go off on. It's not just related to "opinion", there is a pattern.It is not random.
Nearly all of them relate to reality bending distortion or playing dumb (lying, obtuse, disinformation, low information), using rethorical devices like false equivalence and straw men that show there is no argument to be made cause the premise is broken and they've created their own frame of reference. Arguing in good faith with people with broken premises is coming to their side (the old lets meet in the middle when the other one is arguing the earth is flat) by default because you'd have to work within their frame.
I've been online since the mid 1980s and seen this rise of this all over
(it used to be just about non existent in the mid 1980s). I used to be
active in a large amount of forums then. This kind of bad faith "discourse" (sic) has invaded all forums were moderation let it be transforming most of them in a reactionary cesspool where 90% of people there are of a trollish nature : impish sociopathic sexist bigots. There is way too much lying, gaslighting, purposefully being dense, trolling, etc to let it go. So, the answer in those cases is no, not to react calmly If the actual framing of the "argument" is false, pushback.strongly.
There are actually people here that I disagree a lot here which I will
never "go off on", mostly when they're not distorting reality to make their
point. If the person is mostly in good faith like Rogi here, I don't insult them (being called obtuse is pretty mild) but I may insult their actual argument a lot (poor argument...) and rant along the way though.
BTW, you got the whole passive aggressive, I'm above the fray, thing going
though. So, we all got our own communication "style" I guess.
Apple - our goal is not to provide complete Reset of IOS device in "Settings" so when new user don't have previous user's appleid, Apple will lock down(Activation Lock) IOS device disabling/bricked forcing user to discard and buy new one. Very clever Apple. Why Apple never provided steps on there web site or on IOS device which we are asking for the last many years. Give us ONE option like "Settings->General->Reset->Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" so before passing IOS
device to next/new user, current user just use it to completely clean
device so the device acts like Brand new setup.
You meant for theif to be able to completely wipe your device that easily? You actually want that?
This is where Apple and we all are wrong. Apple provide best security measure through Passcode, Touch ID, FaceID,iCloud Find my iPhone lock so lost/stolen/thief can not get into iDevice because of such security measures already in place. Problem is when device is erased before passing/selling to new user but some of the credentials of old user is still hanging around. By chance if you need to restore that device(forgot 6 digit passcode), it will revert back to past appleid. I am facing the exact scenario where my iPad was being used in house for months and someone put long passcode and forgot. When I restored, it asked for appleid of someone I bought from. If there was complete reset than I would have asked Seller or myself have done it before handing over the cash. Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable. By providing complete reset like every devices on earth do, there is no security of iDevices get compromised to enable thieves to steal and sell. It's miss-conception that allowing "accessible" iDevice to complete erase is giving option for people to steal. If passcode,touchid,icloud lock is in place than no one other than it's user can access it. But, when that user wants to pass on that device to someone willingly than he/she(and new user) wants complete erase of the device; than it is not Apple's responsibility to still control it. That device is paid for so Apple needs to stay out of it. Moreover, Apple never provided clear steps on there web site on what Seller or Buyer must do before transferring the the iDevices. Is it too much to ask Apple on behalf of over billion users on earth using there devices ? I can complete reset/clean my windows,Android device(password accessible) before selling to next user.
If they had told people what they were doing before just slowing peoples phones down without their consent it would be different.
This action is tantamount to malware being pushed out as a software update. More reason to NOT trust company updates.
And now to restore the device to previous conditions the user must pay for a new battery?! How is this not equal to randsomware?! Having to spend money that had not been planned on being spent until this is basically extortion.
At $29 a pop just how many millions will this make them?! This is outrageous, and just laughable that some of the people commenting here are just fine with this as it is.
This just happened to slow down old devices at the exact same time as new Apple phones being sold too! This is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
I feel Apple has overstepped with this whole situation. The price reduction on a maintenance that wasn't needed until their actions is not a fix of any kind.
As it stands now, I have no plans to buy anything Apple again. Microsoft, and Apple both are making some boneheaded decisions lately. I almost think they might just be the same company secretly.
They were caught red handed. Me paying them for their actions is not going to make me feel any better about this in any way.
If this was all fine, then why was it secretly/silently done?
What planet are you from, where batteries don’t wear out and/or for profit corporations replace them for you for free for life?
What brand car do you drive, where you get free battery replacements?
The planet is Earth, where phones that worked well on iOS 10 started unexpectedly shutting down under iOS 11.
You mean as the same batteries got another year older? Yep, that how it works, son. You battery will not perform its job to be done eternally. It has a limited life span. Just like your car’s. You change your car battery, right? Do you claim to be entitled to free car batteries? Why not? Oh because you know that’s absurdly stupid.
Seeing an opportunity from Apple's public relations crisis, some competitors this week issued statements to say that they do not throttle the processing power of older devices.
That was not a publc relations “crisis” but an engineering and testing issue at first place. Slowness claims started with the release of iOS 11, and testing, locating and fixing the issue took until this date. Apple has identified the issue in adequate time and immediately communicated its findings and solutions. There is no “public relations crisis” at all, but some media outlets and trolls won’t stop and will continue to push to create an artificial crisis, even after that. As always, their efforts will be futile...
You'd better say intelligent collaboration to use of "natural" degradation as a proclaimed cause for "measures" and throttling too early (treshold set before 80%) This is planned obsolescense which they couldn't publicly reveal. It took fairly long to create their public letter that is neither lying nor telling the whole truth. There are lots of loopholes left here, so this is damage control in a rudimentary form. Class action lawsuits will continue.
The settlement is there: battery $79.00 -> $29.00
The "settlement" only covers consumers prospectively. There are still groups that can continue their pursuit for damages.
1. Those that took their in-warranty or AppleCare device for diagnostics and were told the battery was fine. They didn't get the service to which they were entitled. Why should they pay now for a repair that should have been covered by Apple at the time. 2. Those that paid to have their out-of-warranty battery replaced after Apple employees told them the battery passed all tests but now would be covered by the $29 offer. 3. Those that were told their battery was fine and their phone must have other problems and purchased a new device. Based on Apple employee representations that may have been false or misleading they purchased a $700 device when a simple battery replacement would have fixed it.
Apple - our goal is not to provide complete Reset of IOS device in "Settings" so when new user don't have previous user's appleid, Apple will lock down(Activation Lock) IOS device disabling/bricked forcing user to discard and buy new one. Very clever Apple. Why Apple never provided steps on there web site or on IOS device which we are asking for the last many years. Give us ONE option like "Settings->General->Reset->Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" so before passing IOS
device to next/new user, current user just use it to completely clean
device so the device acts like Brand new setup.
You meant for theif to be able to completely wipe your device that easily? You actually want that?
This is where Apple and we all are wrong. Apple provide best security measure through Passcode, Touch ID, FaceID,iCloud Find my iPhone lock so lost/stolen/thief can not get into iDevice because of such security measures already in place. Problem is when device is erased before passing/selling to new user but some of the credentials of old user is still handing around. By chance if you need to restore that device(forgot 6 digit passcode), it will revert back to past appleid. I am facing the exact scenario where my iPad was being used in house for months and someone put long passcode and forgot. When I restored, it asked for appleid of someone I bought from. If there was complete reset than I would have asked Seller or myself have done it before handing over the cash. Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable. By providing complete reset like every devices on earth do, there is no security of iDevices get compromised to enable thieves to steal and sell. It's miss-conception that allowing "accessible" iDevice to complete erase is giving option for people to steal. If passcode,touchidicloud lock is in place than no one other than it's user can access it. But, when that user wants to pass on that device to osmeone willingly than he/she(and new user) wants complete erase than it is not Apple's responsibility to still control it. That device is paid for so Apple needs to stay out of it.
Did you even understand what you wrote here? How would something you're using "for months" has someone else's Apple ID on. That doesn't make any sense. You won't be able to sign your Apple ID in if there was already someone else's in there. And this doesn't get into how "Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" will be confusing. I know I will be. When I reset my phone, I just backup and erase and all's working well. Now there is another option to get in the way.
If I sold my iPhone, like I just did to my 6s it isn't hard. First, google "prepare iPhone for sale". Voila! the first article appears is the one you want. It's just 3 simple steps: back up, sign out, erase. My friend doesn't have any problem. The phone works fine.
"Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable." Please don't even go there to where exists only in your head.
"If passcode,touchidicloud lock is in place than no one other than it's user can access it. But, when that user wants to pass on that device to osmeone willingly than he/she(and new user) wants complete erase than it is not Apple's responsibility to still control it. That device is paid for so Apple needs to stay out of it." This also doesn't make any sense because this.. is how activation lock works, by tying your phone to your ID, to the cloud. So you want the thief to easily wipe your device after all?...
78Bandit said: The "settlement" only covers consumers prospectively. There are still groups that can continue their pursuit for damages.
1. Those that took their in-warranty or AppleCare device for diagnostics and were told the battery was fine. They didn't get the service to which they were entitled. Why should they pay now for a repair that should have been covered by Apple at the time. 2. Those that paid to have their out-of-warranty battery replaced after Apple employees told them the battery passed all tests. 3. Those that were told their battery was fine and their phone must have other problems and purchased a new device. Based on Apple employee representations that may have been false or misleading they purchased a $700 device when a simple battery replacement would have fixed it.
I think that's a misunderstanding of the issue. Auto shutdown and processor slowing to prevent auto shutdown can happen on a new phone with a new battery. You just need to have a high load on the processor with low battery charge. So it's possible for someone to experience the issue and then have the battery pass tests as well.
This is BS. Apple should never have apologized about this! They should have explained the feature of the OS and idiot people, think, everytime a new OS update comes out there are hundreds or more new instructions and lines of code that have to be handled by the processor! One of the resons for new phones are bigger faster processors to handle the new features and new protection instructions integrated in the new OS releases! One of the reasons an older product slows down is that it takes LONGER for the old processor to run through all those extra instructions!!! I just had the battery replaced on my 6, it made a BIG improvement on how the device runs,,, always a bunch of ignorant wining fools running around trying to get something for nothing or trying to sue a company trying to get rich....
If they had told people what they were doing before just slowing peoples phones down without their consent it would be different.
This action is tantamount to malware being pushed out as a software update. More reason to NOT trust company updates.
And now to restore the device to previous conditions the user must pay for a new battery?! How is this not equal to randsomware?! Having to spend money that had not been planned on being spent until this is basically extortion.
At $29 a pop just how many millions will this make them?! This is outrageous, and just laughable that some of the people commenting here are just fine with this as it is.
This just happened to slow down old devices at the exact same time as new Apple phones being sold too! This is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
I feel Apple has overstepped with this whole situation. The price reduction on a maintenance that wasn't needed until their actions is not a fix of any kind.
As it stands now, I have no plans to buy anything Apple again. Microsoft, and Apple both are making some boneheaded decisions lately. I almost think they might just be the same company secretly.
They were caught red handed. Me paying them for their actions is not going to make me feel any better about this in any way.
If this was all fine, then why was it secretly/silently done?
What planet are you from, where batteries don’t wear out and/or for profit corporations replace them for you for free for life?
What brand car do you drive, where you get free battery replacements?
The planet is Earth, where phones that worked well on iOS 10 started unexpectedly shutting down under iOS 11.
You mean as the same batteries got another year older? Yep, that how it works, son. You battery will not perform its job to be done eternally. It has a limited life span. Just like your car’s. You change your car battery, right? Do you claim to be entitled to free car batteries? Why not? Oh because you know that’s absurdly stupid.
Let's try this again: after updating the software with the latest update from Apple, if your phone shuts down unexpectedly, but did not shut down unexpectedly before (not one year before, but just before you updated the software), you do not think it is the software update at fault, but the battery? The battery was the same age for both versions of code.
Apple - our goal is not to provide complete Reset of IOS device in "Settings" so when new user don't have previous user's appleid, Apple will lock down(Activation Lock) IOS device disabling/bricked forcing user to discard and buy new one. Very clever Apple. Why Apple never provided steps on there web site or on IOS device which we are asking for the last many years. Give us ONE option like "Settings->General->Reset->Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" so before passing IOS
device to next/new user, current user just use it to completely clean
device so the device acts like Brand new setup.
You meant for theif to be able to completely wipe your device that easily? You actually want that?
This is where Apple and we all are wrong. Apple provide best security measure through Passcode, Touch ID, FaceID,iCloud Find my iPhone lock so lost/stolen/thief can not get into iDevice because of such security measures already in place. Problem is when device is erased before passing/selling to new user but some of the credentials of old user is still handing around. By chance if you need to restore that device(forgot 6 digit passcode), it will revert back to past appleid. I am facing the exact scenario where my iPad was being used in house for months and someone put long passcode and forgot. When I restored, it asked for appleid of someone I bought from. If there was complete reset than I would have asked Seller or myself have done it before handing over the cash. Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable. By providing complete reset like every devices on earth do, there is no security of iDevices get compromised to enable thieves to steal and sell. It's miss-conception that allowing "accessible" iDevice to complete erase is giving option for people to steal. If passcode,touchidicloud lock is in place than no one other than it's user can access it. But, when that user wants to pass on that device to osmeone willingly than he/she(and new user) wants complete erase than it is not Apple's responsibility to still control it. That device is paid for so Apple needs to stay out of it.
Did you even understand what you wrote here? How would something you're using "for months" has someone else's Apple ID on. That doesn't make any sense. You won't be able to sign your Apple ID in if there was already someone else's in there. And this doesn't get into how "Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" will be confusing. I know I will be. When I reset my phone, I just backup and erase and all's working well. Now there is another option to get in the way.
If I sold my iPhone, like I just did to my 6s it isn't hard. First, google "prepare iPhone for sale". Voila! the first article appears is the one you want. It's just 3 simple steps: back up, sign out, erase. My friend doesn't have any problem. The phone works fine.
"Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable." Please don't even go there to where exists only in your head.
Let me tell you. I am not stupid. In last 30 years of computer engineer, I worked for and designed chips for IBM PCs in eighty, designed and wrote lots of microcode, middle software, application software which beyond your comprehension. This is a genuine scenario, not made up. You don't need to put appleid to use the iPad. Yes, bought reset iPad and handover to my wife who used it for few months and than my daughter put long passcode and forgot. I restored but now not sure why it asked for some applid which is not from anyone in my home. This same iPad shows up under my wife's iPhone 6S account(not iCloud), when you go into Settings on IOS 11 and select top name of user(applied/icloud/etc), than at bottom it shows the list of iDevices that still under same appleid account. Apple thought by removing the same iPad from my wife's account and restore it to new software will bring iPad back to like fresh brand new to setup again. So, Apple asked me to remove it from the account and do restore of ipad, I did but came back to activation lock and asking the same appleid. If I had complete erase/wipe out than this would never happen. You get it my friend ?
Here is response from Apple Customer Service --
Below is a summary of what the engineers have stated;
it
is possible the device had been signed into iCloud and had Activation
Lock enabled from another Apple ID, such as one that belongs to
themselves, a family member, or the previous owner. If the customer forgot an account they might have used, this site may help them find other accounts that may be in play: https://iforgot.apple.com/appleid Activation
Lock and FMIP are related, yet ultimately separate features.
Engineering is aware of several ways in which they can become unlinked,
resulting in a state where one ID holds Activation Lock, and another ID
can sign into the device to use other FMIP features. There are various
ways to get into this state, including but not limited to: - Jailbreak software installed on a client device - Exploits used to remove an iCloud Account from Settings without entering a password to disable FMIP - Network communication issues that prevent the Activation Servers from receiving commands when FMIP is disabled on a device
So
our next steps would be to try removing Activation Lock using any and
all of the Apple IDs that may have signed into iCloud on the device. We
may need to sign into iCloud.com and check FMIP for the device in
question if we cannot use the device itself. If we're unable to remove
Activation Lock from the serial by using your own Apple IDs, then your
only option is to request Activation Lock removal with proof of
ownership.
Apple feels the need to roll over on this one because there’s a segment of consumers that are five, and don’t get the point of the way the iPhone functions under the circumstances as explained by Apple. It’s a total non-issue, but sometimes you have to simply bow to the absurd.
Why is it so impossible for so many to admit that Apple was wrong here?
There is nothing absurd in trying to figure out why your phone...which worked perfectly yesterday...now slows to a crawl after installing an official update. This is an issue. And Apple admitted it today.
They screwed this up not by hobbling functioning phones with an update but by not communicating with their customers what that update may look like after installed. They admitted it. And now, they’re gonna try to fix it...as they should.
Stop blaming the customer and let Apple fix this.
1. They weren't actually "wrong." Some folks not liking their design decisions doesn't make them "wrong." Maybe misunderstood, but it's at best a matter of semantic word play than anyone being in the wrong. Apple gave in to "the customer is always right... even when they don't understand perfectly reasonable motives explained in plain english". And since Apple is all about making consumers happy – often no matter what, they decided to roll over on this one. Probably for the best.
2. "now slows to a crawl after installing an official update." Conclusions drawn from assumptions. Will need to know age of phone, model, how it is being used, its condition, and exactly how many people are experiencing this. Personal anecdotes are of no interest. There's nothing here whatsoever from which to draw any conclusions.
3. They admitted to not making something clear that they thought was already understood. Apple taking responsibility doesn't admit of any actual wrongdoing. It's a business decision. Don't read too much into it. Apple's about making customers happy, even the unreasonable ones.
4. Customers very often a) don't read, b) don't understand even the most basic, straightforward logic, so yeah, I WILL blame the customer in many cases. But as with children who have patient parents, eventually mum and dad will make it all better.
5. I'm totally not preventing Apple from fixing this.
There is no actual conspiracy here. No "planned obsolescence" or any other cloak-and-dagger nonsense. Planned obsolescence does not sell new iPhones. New iPhones sell new iPhones.
They implemented a feature they thought made sense, and which they sincerely believed consumers would benefit from. They then went on to explain it, and given its logic, believed consumers would understand and appreciate same. It turned out differently, but not because of any nefarious activity.
So, in your mind, until Apple apologized Thursday for not telling anyone about this new feature, any customer who may have had negative experiences with the update was “holding it wrong”...? It’s all on the customer here, eh?
Tell me: If this “feature” had been rolled out quietly to Samsung devices with zero fanfare or with just a blip in a release document, would you have applauded the Samsung marketing department for giving the customer exactly what they didn’t know they wanted when they didn’t know they wanted it? Or would you have pointed and laughed at a complete lack of communication and, worse, a perceived lack of respect for customers?
In response to your first question: yes. Managing performance under certain conditions is both NORMAL and actually DESIRABLE, when the individual understands why it is happening or why it *might* happen. It’s done discreetly and very successfully on other forms of tech hardware without so much as a peep from anyone.
However, many consumers are uneducated as to this sort of thing and would rather knee-jerk than actually put what literacy they do have to good use. Hence, the plaintive cries for Apple to tell them all their precious innermosts. It’s kind of adorable, actually. “You never talk to me anymore!”
As to the hypothetical situation in your second paragraph, I normally don’t comment on hypotheticals because they aren’t real and don’t mean anything. But if Samsung had done the same thing I would have understood the reason because... I already know that performance management of this kind makes sense.
“Foggyhill” in this discussion has quite nicely nailed the basics of the issue, and better than I have. Refer to their posts for further information.
Nah. I’ll just leave it at this as we could go back and forth for days and I honestly don’t have the energy.
There are those who, for some odd reason, feel infatuated enough with this company that they’ll offer a pass or sugarcoat any kind of obvious negative Apple may produce.
There’s only so much, though, that holds up behind the Apple reality distortion field. You can claim the customer should just be quiet and be happy with what Apple provides. But it’s becoming crystal clear that our friends in Cupertino screwed the proverbial pooch here simply by not being transparent. Ya know how we know that today? Because they admitted it yesterday. And they’re gonna make it right. So, good on ‘em.
As for me, I gotta stay away from “fan” sites and stick with more general tech news outlets. Reading AI has begun to feel like trying to hang with the annoying clique in junior high school: You think it’ll work wonders for your social cred but the Nothing But Apple At Any Cost narrative just gives me a headache.
Seeing an opportunity from Apple's public relations crisis, some competitors this week issued statements to say that they do not throttle the processing power of older devices.
That was not a publc relations “crisis” but an engineering and testing issue at first place. Slowness claims started with the release of iOS 11, and testing, locating and fixing the issue took until this date. Apple has identified the issue in adequate time and immediately communicated its findings and solutions. There is no “public relations crisis” at all, but some media outlets and trolls won’t stop and will continue to push to create an artificial crisis, even after that. As always, their efforts will be futile...
You'd better say intelligent collaboration to use of "natural" degradation as a proclaimed cause for "measures" and throttling too early (treshold set before 80%) This is planned obsolescense which they couldn't publicly reveal. It took fairly long to create their public letter that is neither lying nor telling the whole truth. There are lots of loopholes left here, so this is damage control in a rudimentary form. Class action lawsuits will continue.
The settlement is there: battery $79.00 -> $29.00
The "settlement" only covers consumers prospectively. There are still groups that can continue their pursuit for damages.
1. Those that took their in-warranty or AppleCare device for diagnostics and were told the battery was fine. They didn't get the service to which they were entitled. Why should they pay now for a repair that should have been covered by Apple at the time. 2. Those that paid to have their out-of-warranty battery replaced after Apple employees told them the battery passed all tests but now would be covered by the $29 offer. 3. Those that were told their battery was fine and their phone must have other problems and purchased a new device. Based on Apple employee representations that may have been false or misleading they purchased a $700 device when a simple battery replacement would have fixed it.
Also it would have been nice to receive the battery health graph as part of the battery replacement process.
My wife had battery problems on an iPhone 6.
We had to travel 60km to an AppleStore to avoid a week (or more) for a postal diagnosis and possible battery substitution.
We were shown (more like flashed) the graph on a handheld diagnostics device and told that the battery was a touch out of healthy status. It seems the graph it itself was open to interpretation but I didn't see it long enough to be able to evaluate. We had gone with the idea that the battery was bad from the outset so I just accepted the diagnosis. Now this issue has blown up, if I had known about it then, I would have asked to see the graph for a little longer and take away a print out.
When we okayed the replacement, the Apple rep prepared the quote/agreement. Two seconds before signing it, he threw in the 'we have included the cost of a replacement phone if, upon inspection, we see water damage or if we break it during the battery replacement'.
This is probably protocol as I can't see AppleStore employees improvising but it left a bad taste nevertheless.
In the end, everything went well and the phone is functioning better.
At the time Apple's website quoted over a hundred euros (VAT included) but the actual cost was actually slightly lower.
The point is, they could have been far more up front on many of the issues that were commented on during the visit and if my experience is the result of protocol, I would like them to make certain things clearer from the outset and give time to the customer to reflect on the implications.
As an aside but also somewhat related, any faulty storage media should always be handed back to the customer. When AppleCare swapped out a faulty 1TB Seagate drive on an iMac, they refused to let me keep it. The Apple authorized service people said Apple was insistent on them handing the disk back.
This is an obvious potential security hole and unless I'm mistaken, under EU law, the customer has the right to keep any faulty components after substitution unless they are willingly signed over to the company. Years ago, after having a Canon camera repaired, I read through all the fine print of the repair submission and hidden in there was a checkbox (with autochecked approval) signing over the faulty component to Canon.
When it comes to my data I should retain custody of the media even when faulty.
This is BS. Apple should never have apologized about this! They should have explained the feature of the OS and idiot people, think, everytime a new OS update comes out there are hundreds or more new instructions and lines of code that have to be handled by the processor! One of the resons for new phones are bigger faster processors to handle the new features and new protection instructions integrated in the new OS releases! One of the reasons an older product slows down is that it takes LONGER for the old processor to run through all those extra instructions!!! I just had the battery replaced on my 6, it made a BIG improvement on how the device runs,,, always a bunch of ignorant wining fools running around trying to get something for nothing or trying to sue a company trying to get rich....
If that is the case, then a good chunk of people should not upgrade to the latest versions of iOS, which is a much-touted feature of the Apple ecosytem: users being provided with the latest iOS version for older phones. It means less phones should run the latest iOS, so as to not be slowed down. Additionally, Apple should keep signing the older iOS versions, so people can revert back after a while when they realize that device speed and battery life wend down the drain. Both of these would have big implications for Apple's ecosystem. And you yourself just said battery replacement made a big difference, but not everyone was sure whether it was the battery, or good old new iOS features and additional lines of code that slowed down their phones.
Apple - our goal is not to provide complete Reset of IOS device in "Settings" so when new user don't have previous user's appleid, Apple will lock down(Activation Lock) IOS device disabling/bricked forcing user to discard and buy new one. Very clever Apple. Why Apple never provided steps on there web site or on IOS device which we are asking for the last many years. Give us ONE option like "Settings->General->Reset->Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" so before passing IOS
device to next/new user, current user just use it to completely clean
device so the device acts like Brand new setup.
You meant for theif to be able to completely wipe your device that easily? You actually want that?
This is where Apple and we all are wrong. Apple provide best security measure through Passcode, Touch ID, FaceID,iCloud Find my iPhone lock so lost/stolen/thief can not get into iDevice because of such security measures already in place. Problem is when device is erased before passing/selling to new user but some of the credentials of old user is still handing around. By chance if you need to restore that device(forgot 6 digit passcode), it will revert back to past appleid. I am facing the exact scenario where my iPad was being used in house for months and someone put long passcode and forgot. When I restored, it asked for appleid of someone I bought from. If there was complete reset than I would have asked Seller or myself have done it before handing over the cash. Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable. By providing complete reset like every devices on earth do, there is no security of iDevices get compromised to enable thieves to steal and sell. It's miss-conception that allowing "accessible" iDevice to complete erase is giving option for people to steal. If passcode,touchidicloud lock is in place than no one other than it's user can access it. But, when that user wants to pass on that device to osmeone willingly than he/she(and new user) wants complete erase than it is not Apple's responsibility to still control it. That device is paid for so Apple needs to stay out of it.
Did you even understand what you wrote here? How would something you're using "for months" has someone else's Apple ID on. That doesn't make any sense. You won't be able to sign your Apple ID in if there was already someone else's in there. And this doesn't get into how "Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" will be confusing. I know I will be. When I reset my phone, I just backup and erase and all's working well. Now there is another option to get in the way.
If I sold my iPhone, like I just did to my 6s it isn't hard. First, google "prepare iPhone for sale". Voila! the first article appears is the one you want. It's just 3 simple steps: back up, sign out, erase. My friend doesn't have any problem. The phone works fine.
"Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable." Please don't even go there to where exists only in your head.
You don't need to put appleid to use the iPad.
You're entirely missing the point. Yes, you can use it without your Apple ID but WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? It's your iPad. Put your ID in & you'll know from the start this one won't work so you can deny it. You're in 30 years of engineering you should know when you buy iOS devices the first thing you need to check is it still tied to someone else's ID? Because the activation lock feature introduced in iOS 8 has tied the device to the owner ID. This has reduced iPhone theft substantially ever since. If the seller is stupid enough to not clear out his ID, send the device back for a refund or have him do it again.
This is entirely different than this battery fiasco.. in that there is official FAQ on this on official Apple website. It's easy to search for, so don't even attempt to make it in the same ball park with your stupid sarcastic tone (in your original post).
(I don't mean your problem is not legit but your tone is uncalled for)
If they had told people what they were doing before just slowing peoples phones down without their consent it would be different.
This action is tantamount to malware being pushed out as a software update. More reason to NOT trust company updates.
And now to restore the device to previous conditions the user must pay for a new battery?! How is this not equal to randsomware?! Having to spend money that had not been planned on being spent until this is basically extortion.
At $29 a pop just how many millions will this make them?! This is outrageous, and just laughable that some of the people commenting here are just fine with this as it is.
This just happened to slow down old devices at the exact same time as new Apple phones being sold too! This is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
I feel Apple has overstepped with this whole situation. The price reduction on a maintenance that wasn't needed until their actions is not a fix of any kind.
As it stands now, I have no plans to buy anything Apple again. Microsoft, and Apple both are making some boneheaded decisions lately. I almost think they might just be the same company secretly.
They were caught red handed. Me paying them for their actions is not going to make me feel any better about this in any way.
If this was all fine, then why was it secretly/silently done?
What planet are you from, where batteries don’t wear out and/or for profit corporations replace them for you for free for life?
What brand car do you drive, where you get free battery replacements?
The planet is Earth, where phones that worked well on iOS 10 started unexpectedly shutting down under iOS 11.
You mean as the same batteries got another year older? Yep, that how it works, son. You battery will not perform its job to be done eternally. It has a limited life span. Just like your car’s. You change your car battery, right? Do you claim to be entitled to free car batteries? Why not? Oh because you know that’s absurdly stupid.
Let's try this again: after updating the software with the latest update from Apple, if your phone shuts down unexpectedly, but did not shut down unexpectedly before (not one year before, but just before you updated the software), you do not think it is the software update at fault, but the battery? The battery was the same age for both versions of code.
We watched all of that latest update saga here in this forum and participated actively. After the release of iOS 11 people complained of slowness, not of unexpected shutdowns. The unexpected shutdown is unrelated to iOS version, when it is time to happen it happens. That time may also coincide with the release of iOS 11 but this is just a coincidence.
So I guess Dodge should give me a one time replacement of brakes, wipers, clutch plates, batteries, and everything else that's a wearable item on my car? Its a fucking wearable item! Why does Apple need to give anyone a onetime exception to replace a battery on an older phone with a lets say it together...wearable item?
Dodge won't put your car into limp mode when it detects any wear item is reaching end of life. If Dodge did what Apple did, and decided to limit your car to 35 MPH if it detects worn brakes, refuses to start if its dark and it detects a bad light, or won't let you put it in 4WD if you haven't changed your diff oil as recommended then you might have an argument.
Given the choice, I’d rather have a car that could detect a possible engine stall and slow me down to 35mph and keep going, rather than a car that would let the engine seize up while I’m going 80, likely causing a fatal end of my trip. But you know, that’s just a personal preference.
It's also great when you can change your own cars battery too. Unlike with these phones with a sealed battery forcing paid maintanice. This is the same as if the car had to go the dealer for a battery change. That would upset people too.
You can get a kit to change your iPhone battery. It takes some effort, because iPhones are designed and built to be compact, fully enclosed devices, not to be opened and fiddled with by consumers. Had they designed it to have the battery easily pop out for replacement, phones would be bulkier, and there’d be a whole host of additional problems resulting from increased variables around users dropping phones and breaking battery covers, swapping out cheap, after-market batteries, etc.
Also, while access to a car’s battery is still (usually) fairly straightforward, performing other maintenance is frequently much more difficult, making visits to the dealer garage much more routine. It’s pretty common for even things like headlight replacements to require dropping the bumper or the wheel-well cover, etc. Why? Because cars are built to be more compact, complex devices that are more reliable and don’t require frequent fiddling and repairs. The days of opening the hood and crawling into the roomy engine compartment to tinker with the points in your ‘65 Ford are long gone.
If they had told people what they were doing before just slowing peoples phones down without their consent it would be different.
This action is tantamount to malware being pushed out as a software update. More reason to NOT trust company updates.
And now to restore the device to previous conditions the user must pay for a new battery?! How is this not equal to randsomware?! Having to spend money that had not been planned on being spent until this is basically extortion.
At $29 a pop just how many millions will this make them?! This is outrageous, and just laughable that some of the people commenting here are just fine with this as it is.
This just happened to slow down old devices at the exact same time as new Apple phones being sold too! This is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
I feel Apple has overstepped with this whole situation. The price reduction on a maintenance that wasn't needed until their actions is not a fix of any kind.
As it stands now, I have no plans to buy anything Apple again. Microsoft, and Apple both are making some boneheaded decisions lately. I almost think they might just be the same company secretly.
They were caught red handed. Me paying them for their actions is not going to make me feel any better about this in any way.
If this was all fine, then why was it secretly/silently done?
What planet are you from, where batteries don’t wear out and/or for profit corporations replace them for you for free for life?
What brand car do you drive, where you get free battery replacements?
The planet is Earth, where phones that worked well on iOS 10 started unexpectedly shutting down under iOS 11.
You mean as the same batteries got another year older? Yep, that how it works, son. You battery will not perform its job to be done eternally. It has a limited life span. Just like your car’s. You change your car battery, right? Do you claim to be entitled to free car batteries? Why not? Oh because you know that’s absurdly stupid.
Let's try this again: after updating the software with the latest update from Apple, if your phone shuts down unexpectedly, but did not shut down unexpectedly before (not one year before, but just before you updated the software), you do not think it is the software update at fault, but the battery? The battery was the same age for both versions of code.
We watched all of that latest update saga here in this forum and participated actively. After the release of iOS 11 people complained of slowness, not of unexpected shutdowns. The unexpected shutdown is unrelated to iOS version, when it is time to happen it happens. That time may also coincide with the release of iOS 11 but this is just a coincidence.
Yes and we have watched over the years with multiple iphone models and iOS versions, how the latest greatest early adopters of iOS X.0, x.1 and so on, it's only with x.3 or higher than many of the bugs that might be causing some problems(including 'apparent' slow downs) get fixed. I don't know about how Apple "signing"/certifying a iOS version means as far as installing it. When I read all the reports of how ip6+ were doing on iOS11.0...I steered clear.
I have iOS 10.2.1, and found a site that had the last version of iOS 10 available as a standalone d/l...about a month after Apple stopped allowing d/l/installing of iOS10, forget if its a dmg file or what. Do a search to find recommendations of how to find/keep copy of older iOS's that you might be able to install after updating to a newer iOS.
I also bought a shareware $30? app that has proprietary system of allowing backup of all of your iphone data, contacts, messages, etc onto a Mac or other drive like a thumbnail usb flash drive (I do not use iCloud for protection from subpoena of that data, given civil litigation I'm going thru).
That shareware app also gives total capacity of the battery, as well as current estimated capacity...showing my ip6+ has dropped to j<2,400ma from new @2,900ma.
*If* iOS 11 and newer might slow down my ip+ even slightly(not acceptable for me) vs iOS 10.2.1, I'd be foolish to d/l this new iOS update that has so far 'undefined' battery health/status indicators...when I already have an app that gives me current capacity.
So I will get the $29 Apple battery replacement...if Apple service providers can do that on demand, same day. Otherwise I will get the iFixit kit.
All this massive 'news' story, bigger than antenna gate...when a very basic policy decision by Apple as related to the design goes unchecked. I'm talking about the great sapphire lens cover debacle. Those lens covers, made from brittle/shatter prone sapphire; break with regularity so the camera no longer takes good pictures, Bits N pieces of broken glass fell out of the cracked lens cover, allowing dust to infiltrate & cover the camera itself. You can buy Chinese made sapphire lens covers for $5, but they don't have anti-reflection coatings that the Apple lens covers have. Took the ip6 into Apple Store, employee told me they do not "replace broken camera lens covers". The 8mp camera module only costs $20, so max of $25 of parts, and Apple will not fix, you have to buy a new phone!!!(if out of warranty, if still on Apple Care, you'd get a refurb unit as a replacement). You cannot buy the orig Apple lens covers, authorized service providers cannot get them either, so you cannot even get an independent repair facility to do it for you. There should be a class action lawsuit against Apple for that, imho.
Comments
It already has: it is called Genius Bar or Authorized Service Provider.
“IMO it was too late for a 1st class company.”
Too late for what? Has Apple failed to provide support with its established support organization as imposed by the law?
Unusual slowness is a standalone support issue on its own. It can arise from myriad of reasons: battery defect, logic board defect, water, drop, rogue process... The essential is the user applying to appropriate channels for support.
Nearly all of them relate to reality bending distortion or playing dumb (lying, obtuse, disinformation, low information), using rethorical devices like false equivalence and straw men that show there is no argument to be made cause the premise is broken and they've created their own frame of reference. Arguing in good faith with people with broken premises is coming to their side (the old lets meet in the middle when the other one is arguing the earth is flat) by default because you'd have to work within their frame.
I've been online since the mid 1980s and seen this rise of this all over (it used to be just about non existent in the mid 1980s). I used to be active in a large amount of forums then. This kind of bad faith "discourse" (sic) has invaded all forums were moderation let it be transforming most of them in a reactionary cesspool where 90% of people there are of a trollish nature : impish sociopathic sexist bigots. There is way too much lying, gaslighting, purposefully being dense, trolling, etc to let it go. So, the answer in those cases is no, not to react calmly If the actual framing of the "argument" is false, pushback.strongly.
There are actually people here that I disagree a lot here which I will never "go off on", mostly when they're not distorting reality to make their point. If the person is mostly in good faith like Rogi here, I don't insult them (being called obtuse is pretty mild) but I may insult their actual argument a lot (poor argument...) and rant along the way though.
BTW, you got the whole passive aggressive, I'm above the fray, thing going though. So, we all got our own communication "style" I guess.
1. Those that took their in-warranty or AppleCare device for diagnostics and were told the battery was fine. They didn't get the service to which they were entitled. Why should they pay now for a repair that should have been covered by Apple at the time.
2. Those that paid to have their out-of-warranty battery replaced after Apple employees told them the battery passed all tests but now would be covered by the $29 offer.
3. Those that were told their battery was fine and their phone must have other problems and purchased a new device. Based on Apple employee representations that may have been false or misleading they purchased a $700 device when a simple battery replacement would have fixed it.
And this doesn't get into how "Erase All Contents, Settings, Past User's References" will be confusing. I know I will be. When I reset my phone, I just backup and erase and all's working well. Now there is another option to get in the way.
If I sold my iPhone, like I just did to my 6s it isn't hard. First, google "prepare iPhone for sale". Voila! the first article appears is the one you want. It's just 3 simple steps: back up, sign out, erase.
My friend doesn't have any problem. The phone works fine.
"Millions of genuine iDevices have been bricked, unusable."
Please don't even go there to where exists only in your head.
"If passcode,touchidicloud lock is in place than no one other than it's user can access it. But, when that user wants to pass on that device to osmeone willingly than he/she(and new user) wants complete erase than it is not Apple's responsibility to still control it. That device is paid for so Apple needs to stay out of it."
This also doesn't make any sense because this.. is how activation lock works, by tying your phone to your ID, to the cloud.
So you want the thief to easily wipe your device after all?...
Here is response from Apple Customer Service --
it is possible the device had been signed into iCloud and had Activation Lock enabled from another Apple ID, such as one that belongs to themselves, a family member, or the previous owner.
If the customer forgot an account they might have used, this site may help them find other accounts that may be in play:
https://iforgot.apple.com/appleid
Activation Lock and FMIP are related, yet ultimately separate features. Engineering is aware of several ways in which they can become unlinked, resulting in a state where one ID holds Activation Lock, and another ID can sign into the device to use other FMIP features. There are various ways to get into this state, including but not limited to:
- Jailbreak software installed on a client device
- Exploits used to remove an iCloud Account from Settings without entering a password to disable FMIP
- Network communication issues that prevent the Activation Servers from receiving commands when FMIP is disabled on a device
So our next steps would be to try removing Activation Lock using any and all of the Apple IDs that may have signed into iCloud on the device. We may need to sign into iCloud.com and check FMIP for the device in question if we cannot use the device itself. If we're unable to remove Activation Lock from the serial by using your own Apple IDs, then your only option is to request Activation Lock removal with proof of ownership.
There are those who, for some odd reason, feel infatuated enough with this company that they’ll offer a pass or sugarcoat any kind of obvious negative Apple may produce.
There’s only so much, though, that holds up behind the Apple reality distortion field. You can claim the customer should just be quiet and be happy with what Apple provides. But it’s becoming crystal clear that our friends in Cupertino screwed the proverbial pooch here simply by not being transparent. Ya know how we know that today? Because they admitted it yesterday. And they’re gonna make it right. So, good on ‘em.
As for me, I gotta stay away from “fan” sites and stick with more general tech news outlets. Reading AI has begun to feel like trying to hang with the annoying clique in junior high school: You think it’ll work wonders for your social cred but the Nothing But Apple At Any Cost narrative just gives me a headache.
Happy new year.
My wife had battery problems on an iPhone 6.
We had to travel 60km to an AppleStore to avoid a week (or more) for a postal diagnosis and possible battery substitution.
We were shown (more like flashed) the graph on a handheld diagnostics device and told that the battery was a touch out of healthy status. It seems the graph it itself was open to interpretation but I didn't see it long enough to be able to evaluate. We had gone with the idea that the battery was bad from the outset so I just accepted the diagnosis. Now this issue has blown up, if I had known about it then, I would have asked to see the graph for a little longer and take away a print out.
When we okayed the replacement, the Apple rep prepared the quote/agreement. Two seconds before signing it, he threw in the 'we have included the cost of a replacement phone if, upon inspection, we see water damage or if we break it during the battery replacement'.
This is probably protocol as I can't see AppleStore employees improvising but it left a bad taste nevertheless.
In the end, everything went well and the phone is functioning better.
At the time Apple's website quoted over a hundred euros (VAT included) but the actual cost was actually slightly lower.
The point is, they could have been far more up front on many of the issues that were commented on during the visit and if my experience is the result of protocol, I would like them to make certain things clearer from the outset and give time to the customer to reflect on the implications.
As an aside but also somewhat related, any faulty storage media should always be handed back to the customer. When AppleCare swapped out a faulty 1TB Seagate drive on an iMac, they refused to let me keep it. The Apple authorized service people said Apple was insistent on them handing the disk back.
This is an obvious potential security hole and unless I'm mistaken, under EU law, the customer has the right to keep any faulty components after substitution unless they are willingly signed over to the company. Years ago, after having a Canon camera repaired, I read through all the fine print of the repair submission and hidden in there was a checkbox (with autochecked approval) signing over the faulty component to Canon.
When it comes to my data I should retain custody of the media even when faulty.
You're in 30 years of engineering you should know when you buy iOS devices the first thing you need to check is it still tied to someone else's ID? Because the activation lock feature introduced in iOS 8 has tied the device to the owner ID. This has reduced iPhone theft substantially ever since.
If the seller is stupid enough to not clear out his ID, send the device back for a refund or have him do it again.
This is entirely different than this battery fiasco.. in that there is official FAQ on this on official Apple website. It's easy to search for, so don't even attempt to make it in the same ball park with your stupid sarcastic tone (in your original post).
(I don't mean your problem is not legit but your tone is uncalled for)
Also, while access to a car’s battery is still (usually) fairly straightforward, performing other maintenance is frequently much more difficult, making visits to the dealer garage much more routine. It’s pretty common for even things like headlight replacements to require dropping the bumper or the wheel-well cover, etc. Why? Because cars are built to be more compact, complex devices that are more reliable and don’t require frequent fiddling and repairs. The days of opening the hood and crawling into the roomy engine compartment to tinker with the points in your ‘65 Ford are long gone.
I have iOS 10.2.1, and found a site that had the last version of iOS 10 available as a standalone d/l...about a month after Apple stopped allowing d/l/installing of iOS10, forget if its a dmg file or what. Do a search to find recommendations of how to find/keep copy of older iOS's that you might be able to install after updating to a newer iOS.
I also bought a shareware $30? app that has proprietary system of allowing backup of all of your iphone data, contacts, messages, etc onto a Mac or other drive like a thumbnail usb flash drive (I do not use iCloud for protection from subpoena of that data, given civil litigation I'm going thru).
That shareware app also gives total capacity of the battery, as well as current estimated capacity...showing my ip6+ has dropped to j<2,400ma from new @2,900ma.
*If* iOS 11 and newer might slow down my ip+ even slightly(not acceptable for me) vs iOS 10.2.1, I'd be foolish to d/l this new iOS update that has so far 'undefined' battery health/status indicators...when I already have an app that gives me current capacity.
So I will get the $29 Apple battery replacement...if Apple service providers can do that on demand, same day. Otherwise I will get the iFixit kit.
All this massive 'news' story, bigger than antenna gate...when a very basic policy decision by Apple as related to the design goes unchecked. I'm talking about the great sapphire lens cover debacle. Those lens covers, made from brittle/shatter prone sapphire; break with regularity so the camera no longer takes good pictures, Bits N pieces of broken glass fell out of the cracked lens cover, allowing dust to infiltrate & cover the camera itself. You can buy Chinese made sapphire lens covers for $5, but they don't have anti-reflection coatings that the Apple lens covers have. Took the ip6 into Apple Store, employee told me they do not "replace broken camera lens covers". The 8mp camera module only costs $20, so max of $25 of parts, and Apple will not fix, you have to buy a new phone!!!(if out of warranty, if still on Apple Care, you'd get a refurb unit as a replacement). You cannot buy the orig Apple lens covers, authorized service providers cannot get them either, so you cannot even get an independent repair facility to do it for you. There should be a class action lawsuit against Apple for that, imho.