Apple is considering offering a partial refund to customers who paid full price to replace their ageing iPhone batteries.
The firm is currently offering $29 replacements on select iPhone handsets to atone for its criticism of its decision to clandestinely throttle performance to protect old cells.
That’s a little galling to customers who paid full price for a new battery prior to the Apple’s discount.
In a letter to the United States Senate, the company answered a number of questions pertaining to the controversy.
When asked whether those who paid full price to restore full performance should be allowed a rebate, Apple’s VP for public policy Cynthia C Hogan said: “Yes, we are exploring this and will update you accordingly.”
A matter of time
So, it sounds like Apple will be offering $50 rebates, but is debating how far back in needs to go in order to satisfy consumers.
The company is currently working through a backlog of requests from consumers seeking to take advantage of the $29 out-of-warranty replacement.
Related: iPhone 8 review
Apple isn’t even requiring iPhone batteries to reach the usual degradation threshold in order to qualify for the replacement, meaning anyone with an affected iPhone 6 or later can sign up.
Within today’s letter to the Senate, Apple says the iPhone 8 and iPhone X ranges have hardware changes that negate the issue.
Apple’s move is designed to deflect allegations it deliberately slowed down iPhones to push people into upgrading their phones, when a simple battery change would have restored performance.
Apple continues to assert its move was designed to protect against an issue causing unexpected shutdowns of handsets.
Do you think Apple is doing enough to ward off criticism over performance throttling? Are you a customer who paid full price for a battery replacement? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
