According to a British law firm, consumer champion Justin Gutman has put Apple in the UK’s Competitive Appeal Tribunal in a dispute over power management tools for older iPhones that could affect 25 million British people. Takes him to and claims £ 768 million ($ 950 million).
Gutmann deliberately slowed iPhone performance by hiding power management tools to disguise the fact that the iPhone’s battery couldn’t handle iOS processing requests and shut down abruptly (in the industry, “throttle”. Is known as). ..
a law office, Charles Lindon, June 15, said they would launch a “breakthrough proceeding” with Gutmann. This claim is related to iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X models.
Gutman said: “Apple confuses people by hiding software update tools and slowing down devices by up to 58%, instead of customers doing good and legitimate things and offering free replacement, repair services, or compensation. Did.”
In 2017, after some customers noticed a performance issue, Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized and said he would replace the battery at a discounted rate for a limited time.
Gutmann claims that Apple failed to properly announce its battery replacement service, abusing its dominant position in the market.
He is seeking £ 768 million in damages from 25 million UK customers.
Gutman told The Epoch Times that the claim had been filed in court on June 16.
According to this claim, the power management tool released in a software update for iPhone users in January 2017 is an older iPhone model with an aging battery that may be struggling to run the latest iOS software. Deployed to slow down.
His allegations seek compensation for each model he owns, and individuals do not need to participate in class action proceedings to qualify for damages.
In a statement, Apple said: Our goal is always to create products that our customers love, and making the iPhone last as long as possible is an important part of it. “
Last month, Apple lost its position as the world’s most valuable company and was overtaken by Saudi Aramco’s oil and gas producer, Aramco.
PA Media contributed to this report.
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Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist with a particular interest in crime, police and law, covering stories from a wide range of countries.