Apple on Wednesday released its anticipated iOS 11.3 update, but only for the 2018 "budget" sixth generation iPad, which was announced on Tuesday and will only ship to most people in the beginning of April.
A colossal 59 separate lawsuits against Apple for throttling iPhones with weak batteries could be merged into one class-action case at a March 29 meeting in Atlanta.
A video posted to YouTube over the weekend compares the operating performance of an iPhone 6s before and after its battery is replaced, demonstrating in real time the nominal gains users can expect to see when a device is no longer software throttled.
Apple appeared in front of the House of Commons of Canada on Thursday to explain its handling of iPhone battery issues through a software update that in some cases throttles CPU performance, maintaining the feature is designed to benefit customers, not push them to upgrade to new hardware.
Even though Apple's iPhone battery replacement discounts are no longer in the news, and the company has theoretically had time to ramp up supply, wait times for replacements have actually worsened in the past few weeks, according to Barclays research.
Apple has published a new page about lithium ion batteries in an iPhone, discussing how they work in simple terms, why throttling is necessary, and how iPhone performance management works in iOS 11.3.
Apple may offer rebates to people who bought a full-cost replacement iPhone battery to get around throttled performance, according to a newly-published response from the company.
Apple appears to be launching a trial of a iPhone replacement reservation program in Canada, with the app taking names for particular models, and promising to alert users when the battery is available locally.
Apple late Tuesday confirmed it received, and is currently responding to, questions from U.S. government agencies concerning the handling of iPhone battery issues through a software update that throttled the performance of some handsets.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are reportedly starting to look into if Apple violated securities laws, regarding how it informed consumers about the iOS update that implemented the throttling of chemically depleted batteries in iOS 10.2.1.
Italy's antitrust organization has launched a probe investigating allegations that Apple and Samsung use software updates not as a tool to secure or expand upon smartphone capabilities, but to speed up the aging process and force users to buy new phones.
Lawyers working on one of a number of class-action lawsuit proposals over the iPhone battery slowdown issue want Apple to retain the old batteries it swaps out in its battery replacement program, along with a request to hand over any diagnostic data Apple produces relating to the batteries.
People wanting to swap out the battery on an iPhone 6 Plus may in some cases have to wait until March or later, owing to a shortage of replacement units.
The French government is reportedly investigating a recent private complaint against Apple, which charges that the company's decision to slow down iPhones with weak batteries is a form of planned obsolescence meant to sell new hardware.
This week on the AppleInsider podcast, Mike and a special guest discuss the three-pronged attack against modern CPUs, continues the iPhone battery debacle debate, delves into the $16 billion Spotify copyright lawsuit, and talks about the iMac Pro.
Apple recently revealed that it throttles the performance of older iPhones with degraded batteries in order to prevent potential operational troubles like random shutdowns. Find out more about modern battery technology and how you can avoid unwanted performance hits in this video.
Apple employees have declined to sign a notification requiring them to tell Brazilian iPhone owners how they can get discounted battery replacements, according to a state agency.
Lithium-ion batteries such as those found in nearly every smartphone and tablet are not little, indestructable homogenous power reactors. AppleInsider delves briefly into the construction and chemistry of them, and discusses how an old battery works against not only device manufacturers, but the users themselves.
Apple stores are reportedly offering their discounted battery replacements to any iPhone owner willing to pay the fee regardless of whether or not an old battery passes testing, and some users are reporting partial refunds on earlier battery exchanges — but this is not a universal policy.
Many Apple retail locations in the U.S. started the $29 battery replacement for the iPhone 6 or newer, well in advance of a previously announced January timeframe — but appointments are filling up, and turnaround times are growing.
{{ summary }}
Roger Fingas
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Mike Wuerthele
Malcolm Owen
