And all you need to know about the iPhone battery replacement program.
Photograph: Courtesy apple.com
While iPhone users across the world are in an uproar over Apple's recent confirmation about slowing down of old iPhones with software updates, market analysts in India believe that the development may not have a major impact on iPhone sales in the country.
After Geekbench developer John Poole mapped out performances for iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 over time, and concluded that Apple's iOS 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 updates introduced a throttling effect for various devices, the company, in December, admitted to addressing an issue with devices containing older lithium-ion batteries -- which resulted in unexpected shutdowns -- with those software updates.
Apple said in a statement, 'Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.
'Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.
'Last year, we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.'
Apple's admission resulted in anger and lawsuits globally with several people accusing the company of cheating customers.
The lawsuits -- filed across various US courts and even in Israel -- accused Apple of deliberately slowing down devices to cover up poor battery performance.
The lawsuits also claimed that the software updates resulted in iPhone users believing their phones had slowed down due to a processor problem -- which prompted them to buy new phones -- when a mere battery replacement could have solved the issue.
However, this may not affect iPhone sales in India 'as buyers continue to look at it as an aspirational brand', said a Business Standard report.
'In November, Apple commanded a 42 per cent market share by volume in the premium segment here. Further, half of this base is using older models and they are eager to upgrade to higher models irrespective of slowdown,' said Tarun Pathak, associate director, Counterpoint Market research, told the newspaper.
Analysts pointed out that Apple had a very strong brand recall value in the premium segment. And the Business Standard report noted, 'Apple has tied up with Reliance Digital in India, apart from e-commerce channels such as Flipkart and Amazon, to offer lucrative offers to ensure a strong presence in the premium segment here.'
A long-term performance issue, they said, would have impacted its market share 'given that other players have started creeping into a segment dominated by Apple and Samsung till a year ago', but the company has already initiated measures to handle the crisis.
Apple has reduced it's battery replacement charges on affected phones through December 2018 from ₹6,500 plus taxes to ₹2,000 plus taxes. It can be done at any authorised Apple Service centre -- event if your iPhone is out of warranty.
The battery replacement program is applicable to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users.
Apple has also promised to issue an iOS software update that, according to media reports, will give iPhone users 'more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery'.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
