The Italian consumer association Altroconsumo has launched a class action-like lawsuit against Apple over planned obsolescence of its iPhones. It alleges that Apple had been intentionally shortening the iPhone's life in order to drive customer upgrades.
"This is why we have asked for the affected consumers to be compensated," according to a statement from Altroconsumo. Italy's Competition Authority previously fined Apple 10 million euros in 2018 for these unfair and aggressive practices.
Apple responded by saying in an email to The Verge that it had never done anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple device to boost upgrades.
"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,” an Apple spokesperson said in the message. "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 lawsuit focuses on owners of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, and iPhone 6S Plus smartphones. Those devices collectively sold one million units in Italy between 2014 and 2020. Altroconsumo is seeking damages of 60 million euros, or about $73 million.
A Rotten Apple in a Silly Video
The consumer association has put together a silly YouTube video, embedded right ahead, which is obviously meant to shore up public support for its legal moves against Apple.
The lawsuit applies not only to Italian iPhone customers but also to those who live in Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. Euroconsumers is launching a class action lawsuit over planned iPhone obsolescence on behalf of Apple customers in Portugal.
Els Bruggeman, Head of Policy and Enforcement at Euroconsumers, was quoted as saying:
When consumers buy Apple iPhones, they expect sustainable quality products. Unfortunately, that is not what happened with the iPhone 6 series. Not only were consumers defrauded, and did they have to face frustration and financial harm, from an environmental point of view it is also utterly irresponsible.
Euroconsumers is seeking the same treatment for Apple's Europeanu users as its American consumers who were compensated over the issue. If judges declare these class actions admissible, Apple could be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in damages.
Class Action Lawsuits Are Coming to EU
The European Parliament recently adopted legislation to allow EU consumers to defend their rights collectively in a class action lawsuit-like manner, Deutsche Welle reported. Although it'll take up to two years before it becomes law, the measure will give individual users more power against corporations that tend to take advantage of customers.
Apple's supposed practice of planned obsolescence of its iPhones was previously recognized by Italian authorities. Similar lawsuits over planned iPhone obsolesce were previously filed against the company in many other countries, including the US.
The iPhone Throttling Saga Continues
Apple only has itself to blame for how the general public has perceived the whole iPhone throttling saga. At the heart of the issue are Apple's older software updates that implemented CPU throttling as a measure to extend battery health and prevent unexpected shutdowns. Without it, iPhones with worn-out batteries would shut down on a whim because the battery could no longer deliver enough power.
But Apple has failed to properly communicate this particular feature addition to its consumers, with release notes accompanying the software update not even mentioning CPU throttling. All users could see were random shutdowns and a significant reduction in the performance of their device after upgrading the iOS software. Small wonder this has prompted some people to replace their iPhones with newer models.
Apple had offered a battery replacement program at a reduced price for more than 12 months to appease affected customers. Even though many people did take advantage of the program, it hasn't changed the perception that Apple was deliberately slowing down older iPhones to force us into purchasing its latest and greatest shiny.