Apple is a company that rarely acknowledges when it messes things up, but it appears that they’ve finally had to. After it was revealed that the tech firm was intentionally slowing down older iPhones, Apple issued an apology and now has a subsidised battery replacement scheme in place. Here’s info from Apple’s Malaysian site, modified for context.
- Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by RM 240 — from RM 369 to RM 129 — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, available worldwide through December 2018. Details will be provided soon on apple.com.
- Early in 2018, [Apple] will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.
- [The Apple team] is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.
Doubtless, there will still be some customer outrage, RM129 is still not cheap to many. But will it be enough to convince loyal customers to move to an Android alternative? Most modern, high-end Androids also have sealed backs, making battery replacement difficult and expensive.
I personally still think the Note 4 hits the right balance between performance and cost. The thing still runs all the latest apps, has Android 6+, a headphone jack, a quad HD display, a stylus, a decent camera, expandable storage and a replaceable battery. No need to fork out another RM3K for a worthy successor. Not until it gets damaged!
