Apple on Thursday posted an apology letter to its website regarding its slowing down of older iPhones. In addition to the apology, the company says that it wants to clarify what it’s really been doing to older handsets and it even makes a peace offering for disgruntled customers: $29 out-of-warranty battery replacements for the next year.
We’ve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we’re making.
First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.
The letter goes on to explain how batteries age, how that’s related to unexpected iPhone shutdowns, and what Apple has been doing about it. It plans on releasing an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery and how it’s affecting the device’s speed and performance.
We’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible. We’re proud that Apple products are known for their durability, and for holding their value longer than our competitors’ devices.
[…] At Apple, our customers’ trust means everything to us. We will never stop working to earn and maintain it. We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith and support — and we will never forget that or take it for granted.
The iOS update is planned for January, and the reduced cost battery replacement plan also begins late next month.
Source: Apple