U.S. Senate Questions Apple About Slowing Down Older iPhones

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There’s no denying the fact that many people have criticized Apple’s sneaky procedures to slow down older iPhones, and the U.S. Senate has upped the pressure.

According to the Guardian, the Senate has begun quizzing the tech giant about its practice for slowing down aging iPhones. The firm is thought to do this to convince users to upgrade to newer handsets.

Senator John Thune, who is the chair of the Senate’s commerce committee, has penned a letter to CEO Tim cook. He wants to learn more about the situation and how it affects consumers.

“Apple’s proposed solutions have prompted additional criticism from some customers, particularly its decision not to provide free replacement batteries,” said Thune.

His quote was included in a report from the Wall Street Journal, and allegedly, the Senate wants to hear back from Apple by January 23rd.

In December, the company confirmed that it slows down older iPhones. And as a result, the company has been faced with class-action lawsuits as well as grueling criticism.

Apple apologized for the situation, saying: “We apologize. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we’re making.”

“We’ve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down.”

The company added: “First and foremost, we have never – and would never – do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.”

Meanwhile, the French Government has just opened a legal case against the company for apparently committing “planned obsolescence” – following moves by the U.S.

Consumer support group Stop Planned Obsolescence has been a staunch critic of  the tech company’s actions. It told the BBC: “The slowing down of older devices seems to have the deliberate aim of pushing Apple customers towards purchasing the new model.

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