After Apple Admitted To Slowing Down Old iPhones, A Lot Of People Were Obviously Pissed Off
There are mistakes and shortcomings and, and then there's downright sabotage.
When Apple admitted earlier this week to actively slowing down old iPhones, a lot of people were obviously not happy. Sure, the company claims it has its reasons, but how valid are they?
Reuters
According to their statement, the code that slows down iPhones only activates when the battery is old, or cold. In both of these situations, the peak charges it delivers come in spikes, spikes that can damage the phone¡¯s internals. The code then is made to both reduce that surge drawn, as well as lower the processor¡¯s clock speed to avoid the battery draining out too fast.
Now, slowing down a smartphone to deliver better battery life is not a great solution. Optimisation is something that should be in a user¡¯s hands. Any Android smartphone with a low-power mode has it on a toggle you can flick on or off. Most also allow you to customise what processes are throttled or turned off, in order to save battery.
For years, we¡¯ve reassured people that no, Apple doesn¡¯t secretly slow down their older iPhones to make them buy new ones.
¡ª Marco Arment (@marcoarment) December 20, 2017
If this must be done, it should be a setting. If it¡¯s on by default, the user should be alerted the first time it happens.https://t.co/kRRmd7mN72
This will be seen by many as a new Apple tax - forcing users to upgrade early, pay for a replacement battery... or be stuck with a slow phone.
¡ª Jim Connolly (@JimConnolly) December 20, 2017
If Apple is going to slow down an old phone so the battery can handle it, you should receive several alerts about it. They're coercing people to buy something new, even if they want to pretend that isn't their intention.
¡ª Nicole Cozma (@c0z) December 20, 2017
Can we sue Apple for this iPhone slow downing bullshiet?
¡ª Salchich¨®n (@TheNavid) December 21, 2017
On the other hand, not only did Apple make its ¡°optimization¡± and always-on feature, it also didn¡¯t inform users what was happening. It took someone performing multiple benchmark tests across devices and iOS versions to discover the truth. If Apple was actually serious about its good intentions, at least one of two things could have been done. One, keeping the feature optional so users could find it and turn it off if they prefer processing speed to battery life. Or two, just freaking telling everyone what was going on.
Instead, it¡¯s beginning to look more and more like, though the code module may have originally been a fix for the battery life problem, it eventually became an underhanded way to push loyal customers towards higher end purchases.
Revealed: Product managers @apple who made the decision to slow down older #iPhone models and not tell users. pic.twitter.com/yPhJoqQsde
¡ª Futurist Jim Carroll (@jimcarroll) December 21, 2017
I¡¯m thoroughly irritated about how slow my iPhone 6 is now. It¡¯s ridiculously slow.
¡ª Imani Gandy Canes (@AngryBlackLady) December 20, 2017
There¡¯s got to be a class action suit in here somewhere. https://t.co/LgrLvJjCPv
Best way to fix a slow iPhone? Buy an Android. #LifeHacks
¡ª Columbus Neon ? (@ColumbusNeon) December 21, 2017
Mine iPhone doth not slow when its battery dwindles.
¡ª William Shakespeare (@Shakespeare) December 21, 2017
But it doth slow when the breeze slackens and its windmill languishes
