"Each device can receive a compensation of 660 yuan, but not in China!" "Sure enough! Children who cry have milk to drink." "Domestic users are really used to Apple!"... Recently, the iPhone battery door compensation has been posted on hot searches, but some domestic users are feeling sour because Chinese users have not sued Apple in a collective manner, so there is no compensation. ".
The iPhone battery gate occurred several years ago. In December 2017, a large number of American users filed a class action lawsuit accusing Apple of "intentionally reducing the performance of the old iPhone.". At that time, Apple responded by stating that it would use a "power management system" to limit the performance limits of certain iPhone models when necessary, in order to prevent accidental shutdown of the phone when the battery ages.
In fact, Apple added this restriction to iOS 10.2.1 earlier in 2017 without informing users, which was the company's main fault and did not take into account the right of users or the potential performance degradation of their phones due to system upgrades. Although Apple does not acknowledge all allegations of "misconduct," it ultimately agreed to pay a settlement of $500 million (approximately RMB 3.578 billion) in March 2020, of which $310 million (approximately RMB 2.218 billion) was used to compensate users. The receipt of iPhone battery gate compensation signifies a phased end to Apple's battery gate incident.
A reporter from China Business Daily learned that each iPhone user involved in the claim will receive approximately $92.17 (approximately RMB 659.55) in compensation, and some users will receive a total compensation of nearly $1000 for owning multiple iPhones.
Can domestic iPhone users affected by the battery gate incident be compensated? How to obtain compensation? The reporter called Apple China and the customer service representative said that customers who filled out their claims before October 2020 can automatically receive a compensation payment. Currently, based on the information we have found, only some American customers have received this email.
Lawyer You Yunting, senior partner of Shanghai Dabang Law Firm, told reporters, "Due to the lack of a class action mechanism similar to the United States in China and no precedent for such compensation, such issues are generally resolved through government fines. Individual rights protection is possible, but the cost is relatively high."
You Yunting provides the following suggestions to domestic consumers: "If you want to file a lawsuit for compensation, the first thing is to have the product, and the second thing is to have evidence. However, after many years, there may be no evidence of the iPhone being slowed down. If there are indeed records at that time, you can file a lawsuit yourself or submit it to the Consumer Rights Protection Committee (hereinafter referred to as the" Consumer Protection Committee ")." "The People's Procuratorate, let them study whether they can initiate public interest litigation."
Replace the machine with a new one
The iPhone battery door can be traced back to August 2016, when many Apple users in the United States reported that their iPhones would suddenly power off and shut down, involving multiple iPhone models, especially the iPhone 6s. For this part of the complaint, Apple initially promised to replace the battery to ensure the normal use of users.
After replacing the new battery, these users have significantly improved the performance of their old iPhones. Later, some testing agencies revealed that Apple had added a new mechanism in the iOS system to detect the health status of batteries and adjust phone performance based on battery aging and battery level.
Previously, Apple secretly added a frequency reduction feature to older models such as the iPhone 6s in iOS 10.2.1, which resulted in the iPhone running very slowly when the battery was low. So in December 2017, a large number of American users filed a class action lawsuit accusing Apple of "intentionally reducing the performance of the old iPhone.".
At this point, Apple acknowledged that it had indeed added a frequency down switch in iOS 10.2.1 and later systems, and apologized to the majority of users. Apple also explained that the addition of this feature is aimed at improving power management under peak loads to avoid accidental shutdowns of iPhone 6/6P, iPhone 6s/6sp, and iPhone SE.
According to the class action lawsuit materials, Apple has added the above restrictions in iOS 10.2.1 without informing users, covering iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, or iPhone SE models running iOS 10.2.1 or iOS 11.2 before December 21, 2017. So, some argue that Apple's cautious device is actually trying to force users to switch to a new one.
Although Apple firmly denies all allegations of misconduct, it agreed to pay up to $500 million in 2020 to resolve this lawsuit. Out of this $500 million, $310 million will flow to consumers, equivalent to iPhone users receiving approximately $92 in compensation per claim.
It should be pointed out that this lawsuit was initiated by a US user, which is only valid for US users and requires compensation to be applied for before October 2020. Each device can submit a claim application. However, in early December 2023, the Seoul High Court ruled that Apple would compensate seven Korean iPhone users with 70000 Korean won (approximately 380 yuan) each for the battery gate incident.
So, can domestic iPhone users affected by the battery gate incident receive compensation like users from countries such as the United States and South Korea, in addition to expressing dissatisfaction and making online comments? Regarding this, Lawyer Li Min, Senior Partner and Doctor of Law at Shanghai Hansheng Law Firm, said, "Because a class action lawsuit was filed in the United States, Apple and the user made a settlement, and the lawsuit in the United States has nothing to do with China. Only a few organizations such as the Consumer Protection Commission and the People's Procuratorate can file a class action lawsuit in China."
In fact, due to the lack of support for class action litigation in the domestic legal system, companies like Apple that infringe on consumer rights can find regulatory authorities and are willing to intervene. If not, it is only up to the users themselves. "Individual rights protection is possible, but the cost is high." You Yunting suggested that domestic Apple users can file a public interest lawsuit with the Consumer Protection Commission or the Procuratorate.
Battery capacity that is always roast
The reporter noticed that in 2023, Apple faced multiple class action lawsuits in multiple countries, involving AirTag tracking leading to multiple murder cases, and Apple's App Store charging high commissions to app developers. However, there are currently no class action lawsuits against Apple in China.
According to Qichacha, the three physical companies registered by Apple in China, namely Apple Smart Yuan Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Apple Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and Apple Electronic Products Trading (Beijing) Co., Ltd., are mainly involved in judicial litigation, including commercial cooperation disputes and intellectual property disputes.
The Apple Battery Gate event triggered more users' roast about Apple Battery. In the comment area of the popular search of "iPhone battery door compensation has arrived", some netizens took advantage of the opportunity to roast that the battery capacity of the iPhone 14 series is falling fast, such as "the battery of the 14 Pro is also in trouble, and I have 92% of it in less than a year." "Is it normal that the battery capacity of the 14 Pro has dropped to 89% in less than a year?" "One year and three months, the 14 Pro Max is now 86%. Can I change my phone?"
In fact, the battery capacity of iPhones has always been criticized by users. When domestic smartphones are introducing large capacity batteries of 4500mAh and above to their own phones, Apple still refuses to disclose the iPhone battery capacity and increase battery capacity at the press conference. Why doesn't Apple come with a large capacity battery on the iPhone?
Regarding this, Li Zegang, Chief Analyst of Omdia Mobile Terminal Market, a market research firm, told reporters, "Apple places great emphasis on the coordination of software and hardware. Its ecosystem is unique and there are no competitors yet. The iPhone has done much better in power control than Android, so it has not particularly considered large batteries."
Li Zegang also pointed out that as the battery capacity increases, the weight of the iPhone will increase. Therefore, Apple has not actively laid out large capacity batteries and fast charging technology, and overseas users do not have the same range anxiety as domestic users. "Apple designs products from a global perspective, and China is one of its important markets. It does not develop products specifically for a single market. This is a consistent style among foreign companies, and they do not want to be internalized. The iPhone iterates once a year, and whether it is in terms of lens count, zoom ability, or pixels, there will be no significant changes. This is its confidence in its own ecosystem," said Li Zegang.
However, iPhone sales in China, which have been criticized for lacking innovation, may further decline in 2024. According to a report by Caixin News Agency, analysts at American investment bank Jeffrey have released a report stating that the decline in sales of Apple's iPhone in the Chinese market is intensifying, and iPhone sales in China may further decline this year.
In contrast, the sales of other brands in the Chinese smartphone market have recently increased, especially Huawei, which launched the Mate 60 series, with the fastest growth. At the end of August 2023, Huawei quietly launched the Mate 60 series smartphones. Jeffrey estimates that Huawei's smartphone shipments in 2023 will be 35 million units.
In December 2023, iPhone sales experienced a double-digit percentage decline. Although major online shopping websites have increased discounts on iPhones and lowered average selling prices, they have not effectively stimulated sales growth.
The iPhone is Apple's most important product, and about half of the company's revenue comes from the iPhone. Apple's revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 (the third quarter of the calendar year) was $89.5 billion, with the iPhone contributing $43.805 billion in revenue.
According to a report by the Securities Times, Barclays analysts led by Tim Long have downgraded Apple's stock rating to underpriced, with a target price lowered from $161 to $160, which means the company's stock price will fall by 17% over the next year.
At a time when the market was not optimistic about the iPhone, Apple announced on the evening of January 8, 2024 local time that the Apple Vision Pro would be launched on February 2 in all Apple retail stores and online stores in the United States, with a starting price of $3499 (approximately RMB 25000) and equipped with 256GB of storage space.
The Apple Vision Pro is the first major new product released since the launch of the Apple Watch by Apple in 2014. Apple has stated that Vision Pro will be released in the United States first, and other countries and regions will be delayed. At present, Apple has not announced the specific release date of Vision Pro in China. Once this news was released, Apple's stock price also stopped falling and rebounded.