Apple has been forced to pay a fine of 10 million euros in Italy, and that is that the company lost the well-known lawsuit in which the iPhones suffered a loss of performance deliberately.
For the full story, we have to go back to 2018, where it was discovered that the company, with the iOS 10.2.1 operating system, deliberately targeted the performance of older devices so that their operation was slower than it should be. According to the company, it was a way to protect users because the battery of the devices already offered less autonomy, and for this autonomy to be maintained, they could not think of a better way that, without announcing the users, reduced the operating speed of the SoC from 1.84 GHz to 600 MHz, that is, that after the update the device had a third of the original performance.
When a new battery was inserted, the mobile worked perfectly, so Apple actually incorporated an update that forced users to buy a new generation smartphone by making them believe that their device was obsolete. Without this update, the usual thing would happen, the autonomy lasts less and the user already decides whether to replace the battery, buy a Power Bank, etc., something much less profitable than capturing the performance of the device and forcing them to update it.
“The AGCM’s conclusion that Apple’s omissions and insufficient information about iPhones batteries until December 2017 turns out to be integrated with incorrect business practice in accordance with Article 22 of the Consumer Code: this conclusion is It is based on the observation that the omission of disclosed information, related to one of the main characteristics of the product that affected its performance and duration, led consumers to make mistakes both in the purchase decision and, especially, in that of correct use and replacement of iPhone devices, “said the Competition Authority in Italy, the AGCM.
At the moment of truth, this fine in Italy is a mere tip for the company, and it is that if there it has to pay 10 million euros, in March Apple had to accept the payment of a fine of 300 million dollars for the same problem in America. The fine was originally made in 2018, but after appealing and losing, it has taken two years for the company to have to pay it.
