Apple has today posted a letter on its website and a technical article in its Knowledge Base apologizing for not being more transparent about how it handles performance on iPhones with older batteries. Last week, Apple issued a statement that made it clear that changes it made a year ago were indeed slowing down the maximum performance of iPhones with older batteries.
It will now also offer a battery replacement for older devices affected for a reduced $29.
Weve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process, the letter reads. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize. Theres been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes were making.
Apple is now apologizing for not being clearer about how the changes it made to eliminate sudden shutdowns of iPhones would affect iPhone performance. When I published my piece on this last week, even though I clearly, and forcefully, noted that Apple must be more transparent with its users on this issue, readers were incensed over the fact that a long-held conspiracy theory appeared to be confirmed. Apple was slowing down old iPhones and the reason didnt matter. It is clear that some people will still feel that the reason Apple is giving here is not enough, which is understandable given the intense passion people have for their phones and how much they use them.