Apple Customers File Class Action Lawsuit Against the Cupertino-Based Company for Deliberately Slowing Older iPhones

Apple may be on the verge of becoming the first American company to reach a market value of $1 trillion, but the road there may be a bumpy one. For those uninitiated, last year the multinational technology company admitted that it throttles the performance of some older iPhone models in order to prevent them from unexpectedly shutting down. Although the company views this as a feature intended to provide the best user experience possible, customers were not happy with the lack of transparency.

A group of iPhone 6 users from all across the United States has filed a proposed class action against Apple Inc. in California federal court. Below are a few details regarding the lawsuit:

“While Plaintiffs and the class need not attribute any motive behind Apple’s intentional degradation of the Devices, it is evident that Apple continued to do so for the simple reason most frauds are committed: money.

Although technically complex in part, the scheme was logical and simple: The Devices were designed defectively, and Apple released software updates to conceal the Defects, all the while exacerbating the effects of the Defects—principally decreased performance—so that Device users had no choice but to purchase new batteries or upgrade their Devices, resulting in additional payments to Apple and a sustained (albeit forced) customer base.”

Although the full complaint is sweeping, the gist of it is that Apple allegedly committed fraud by secretly slowing down older iPhones as part of scheme to make more money. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered all iPhone slowdown lawsuits to be consolidated as one large class action.

In response to this fiasco, Apple has reduced the price of battery replacements and is offering a $50 credit to all customers who paid for an out-of-warranty battery replacement for certain devices. However, the half-assed apology has fallen on deaf ears.

If you are interested in scheduling an initial consultation regarding the Apple battery class action lawsuit, contact our Chicago consumer attorneys at Atlas Consumer Law today. We can help you recover compensation for unspecified damages, legal fees, and battery replacements.