After losing an Italian lawsuit alleging that Apple failed to properly disclose to customers that the iOS 10.2.1 update introduced performance throttling, the Cupertino company has now published a statement regarding the case on its Italian website.
Apple's iPhone battery replacements are no longer available at a deep discount so repair site iFixit has decided to extend its own DIY iPhone battery discount through 2019.
iFixit wrote:
When Apple first announced their $29 battery replacement program in December 2017, we lowered the price of our DIY iPhone battery kits to match. Last month, Apple’s discounted battery replacement program ended, and they raised the price of their battery service from $29 to $49 (or $69, depending on your model).
In the wake of last year's iPhone throttling drama, the repair site lowered the price on all of its DIY iPhone battery fix kits to $29 or less. According to Barclay’s, 519 million iPhones were eligible for Apple's discounted program but the company replaced only eleven million batteries.
That means there are still hundreds of millions of affected iPhone owners who didn’t get a battery replacement—or didn’t know they needed one. So in a fit of righteous solidarity, we’re guaranteeing our iPhone battery prices will remain at $29.99 for at least the rest of the year.
The iFixit kits include everything you need to open up and swap your own battery. And unlike Apple's own program, iFixit's battery kits are available for older iPhones like iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.
iFixit notes that the eleven million batteries Apple replaced is ten times the company's average repair rate of about one to two million iPhone battery replacements a year.
A year ago, Apple was charging $79 for iPhone batteries.Apple currently charges out of warranty battery replacements at $69 a pop for iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. Older models like iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus "and all other eligible models" are subject to a $49 battery replacement fee.
Of course, if you have AppleCare+ protection, battery replacements are free.
Apple's second-generation Smart Battery Case for the latest iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max smartphones is definitely a solid accessory. But at a somewhat pricey $129 a pop, is it really worth basically a $100 more than inexpensive third-party alternatives on the low end?
Apple's mid-January release of its Smart Battery Case for the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR models wasn't entirely unexpected. Our video editor Harris Craycraft has managed to get his hands on the new battery case, this is his unboxing experience.
For starters, the case now looks sleeker than the previous version. While the hump is still present, the bottom chin is gone because this case was specifically designed for the Face ID-enabled iPhone models that feature a fullscreen design (except the notch, of course).
And now, watch Harris's video covering the unboxing experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLPor9rHqMI Subscribe to iDownloadBlog on YouTubeAside from improved appearance, other innovations in this Smart Battery Case include support for Qi wireless charging, meaning you can now charge either the case’s battery or both your iPhone and the case via any Qi-compliant wireless charger.
The new case also fits last year's iPhone X though charging requires Apple's recently-released iOS 12.1.3 software update. See how it increases each handset’s battery life:
iPhone XR: 39 hours of talk time, 22 hours of Internet use and 27 hours of video iPhone XS: 33 hours of talk time, 21 hours of Internet use and 25 hours of video iPhone XS Max: 37 hours of talk time, 20 hours of Internet use and 25 hours of videoThe new Smart Battery Case has a larger battery capacity than the previous version. With a pair of integrated cells at 1,369 mAh each, you’re now getting around 1.4 additional watt hours and almost 400 more milliamp hours than before. Even though the mAh rating is lower, the new case does have a larger capacity than the old version when taking voltage into consideration.
Harris will be playing with these cases for a bit more before publishing his complete hands-on video walkthrough so watch this space for his full review.
You can find the new Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR on Apple’s website. It's available in Black and White and priced at $129 regardless of the version.
What do you think about the unboxing experience?
Let use know by leaving a comment below.
Apple has reportedly poached an executive from Samsung SDI, Samsung Electronics' battery-making affiliate, to help lead its own battery work.
As you move closer to or farther away from an internet access point, whether it’s over cellular or Wi-Fi, your handset’s signal level adjusts to reflect your distance from said access point. But did you know that a weak internet signal causes your iPhone or iPad to work harder to maintain that signal?
Many don’t realize it, but the circumstances described above can have an adverse impact on your handset’s battery life. On the other hand, a new free jailbreak tweak called SignalPlane by iOS developer Julio Verne can help counteract these adverse effects with a clever Airplane Mode-centric implementation.
While Apple's newly released Smart Battery Case for the latest iPhone XS and XR devices fits the company's iPhone X model from 2017, it does not actually function without iOS 12.1.3.
Apple's technical specifications for the new Smart Battery Cases omit any mentions of capacity, but one customer who received his iPhone XS case early said it featured a 1,369 mAh internal cell, significantly less than the iPhone 7 counterpart.
Apple yesterday released a revised Smart Battery Case for the latest iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models which provides customers with multi-day battery life. Here are two key innovations that set this case apart from the previous model.
Apple has replaced an astounding eleven million iPhone batteries under its discounted $29 replacement program, which ended December 31, 2018. The initiative was put in effect at the start of 2018 in the aftermath of the throttling scandal.
It wasn’t long after Apple announced the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros that I went to my local Apple Store to pick one up. The idea of a USB-C-powered Apple tablet fascinated me, and it wasn’t long before I started gathering accessories to augment the iPad Pro experience.
In this piece, I’ll discuss my favorite accessories for my 11-inch iPad Pro. They’re in no specific order, but you will find a mix of first-party and third-party accessories below.
Accessory maker Mophie today announced a new line of battery cases for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR which will be available to purchase in the first quarter of this year.