Man sues Apple, wins case over Apple Watch Sport impact resistance
Roger Fingas
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A Welsh man on Tuesday won a small-claims case against Apple, one which accused the company of violating the region's Sale of Goods Act in refusing to honor his Apple Watch warranty.
The company has been ordered to refund the cost of Gareth Cross' Apple Watch Sport — £339 (about $489) — and pay an additional £429 ($618) in expenses, according to BBC News. More significantly the company is altering its marketing for the product to no longer claim it's impact-resistant.
Cross bought the Watch in July, and said he noticed a crack in the cover glass 10 days later. When he tried to get it repaired under warranty he was denied.
"I hadn't even been doing anything strenuous, just sitting around watching TV," he told the BBC. "When I got to work the hairline crack had got bigger and bigger so I called Apple up to get it repaired."
Cross commented that despite the case becoming "stressful," given the prospect of facing one of the world's biggest corporations in court, he will eventually buy another Watch. "But I may wait until the next model is out," he said.
In spite of its name the Sport is actually less rugged that the regular Watch. While the latter features a sapphire screen and a steel body, the Sport uses Apple's "Ion-X" glass and aluminum. It is substantially cheaper however, in the U.S. costing at least $200 less.
