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Tim Cook Says Power Management Feature In Older iPhones Will Be Able To Be Turned Off In Future Update (macrumors.com)

In an interview with Rebecca Jarvis of ABC News, Apple CEO Tim Cook touched on the ongoing controversy over power management features in older iPhones. He says that a future update will allow customers to turn off the power management feature that has caused older iPhones to slow down. Mac Rumors reports: According to Cook, when the power management features were first introduced in iOS 10.2.1, Apple did explain what was going on, but following the controversy, he believes Apple should have been clearer. The company did indeed mention that the shutdown issue was caused by uneven power delivery and explained that its power management system had been tweaked, but there was no clear notice that it could cause devices to operate more slowly at times. Cook says Apple "deeply apologizes" to customers who thought the company had other motivations. Apple is introducing better battery monitoring features in a future iOS update, and Cook says Apple will also allow customers to turn off the power management feature, which is new information that the company has not previously shared. The majority of the interview was focused on the announcements that Apple made today. The company plans to contribute $350 billion in the U.S. economy over the next five years, as well as issue employees a bonus of $2,500 of restricted stock units following the introduction of the new U.S. tax law.

162 comments

  1. Good grief, settle down. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 0, Troll

    Tim Cook says...

    Frosty Piss says he doesn't give a shit about this tempest in a tea pot spun up by Apple haters, lawyers looking for a buck, and people that get OUTRAGED at any and everything. Folks, step back from the Internet. But I will be taking my iPhone 5s in to have an Amazing Genius(TM) replace the battery for cheap...

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Good grief, settle down. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Wrong. 5S is not included in the cheap batteries, despite being still supported with IOS 11. Only 6 and newer are getting cheap batteries and there is already a 3 month wait time.

    2. Re:Good grief, settle down. by msauve · · Score: 1

      Yep. And if Tim Cook wants to make an impression, he'd let users make their own decisions about what version of iOS they want to run, and give them the ability to side-load apps. This is just simple pandering in an attempt to avoid regulation.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    3. Re:Good grief, settle down. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is but One God,

      He is the Sun God,

      Ra--Ra--RA RA RA!!

    4. Re:Good grief, settle down. by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      It's more like Apple trying to elude the many lawsuits worldwide. If it wasn't for the researchers who unleashed that slowdown "feature", Apple would never have done and talked a thing about it. Apple should have made this public and optional, from the start.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    5. Re:Good grief, settle down. by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Wrong. 5S is not included in the cheap batteries, despite being still supported with IOS 11. Only 6 and newer are getting cheap batteries and there is already a 3 month wait time.

      Because the 5S is not affected by this. Only the 6 and above have the power management feature and can scale back the processor speed to lower battery consumption and are thus affected by bad batteries.

      But really, cheap 5S battery replacements are available quite easily - all those mobile repair shops can trivially change the battery for about $30 or so. And I think iFixit and other online stores can sell you DIY kits for around the same price.

    6. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yep. And if Tim Cook wants to make an impression, he'd let users make their own decisions about what version of iOS they want to run, and give them the ability to side-load apps. This is just simple pandering in an attempt to avoid regulation.

      1. You are free to run whatever version of iOS you want to LEAVE on your Device (there actually are NO "Forced Upgrades"). But, I will CERTAINLY agree that you SHOULD be allowed to "Downgrade" to an earlier version of iOS, if you Upgrade and then decide it doesn't suit you or your Device. But, that's why I never Upgrade an older Device until I let a few months go by to see what the performance issues, if any, affect those who do Upgrade. For example, I am "avoiding" Upgrading my iPhone 6 Plus to iOS 11, because of reports of performance issues with iPhone 6 and iOS 11.

      2. You have been able to Side-Load ANY App you want on an non-jailbroken iOS Device running iOS 8 or later, using a couple of different methods:

          a. If you have a Mac, you can use XCode to Compile and Install any number of "Open Source" iOS Apps written in Swift and Obj-C (and possibly other languages) sprayed all over the intarwebs (or, uh, you can WRITE your Own!). XCode is a Free Download (again, if you already have a Mac), and you only need to be a Registered Developer if you are going to submit your Glorious App to the App Store.

      Slashdotters should be familiar with this distribution method, because it is PRECISELY how thousands of Open Source packages are distributed for Linux and other platforms.

      Here's a list on Github:

      https://github.com/dkhamsing/o...

      And while you MUST use XCode, due to Code-Signing Requirements to submit to the App Store, (and also because it is probably still the best overall IDE for iOS Development), there ARE a few non-XCode iOS Development toolchains available. Caveat: I know NOTHING about these, what platforms they run on/support, etc. But here they are:

      https://www.jetbrains.com/objc...

      https://www.xojo.com/

      https://www.visualstudio.com/v...

      https://coderunnerapp.com/

          b. Using the Freeware Cydia Impactor utility, you can use a Mac or Windows (and maybe Linux?) PC to Install pre-compiled ".ipa" Files, WITHOUT needing to Jailbreak the iPhone... Then, all the User has to do is "Trust This Publisher" ONE TIME, and VOILA! The onus is on the USER (just like any good Slashdotter would want, right?) to decide whether they want to do this...

      http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/

      Here's a list of some sites that host free iOS .ipa Files:

      https://www.gocydia.com/free-i...

      BOTH of these methods have been available and officially-supported since iOS 8 was released in September, 2014.

      But by all means, do keep up your mindless Apple-Hatred.

      Oh, and you Apple Haters and other Slashtards can ALL STFU about "Walled Garden", FOREVER, got it?

    7. Re:Good grief, settle down. by magusxxx · · Score: 1

      "1. You are free to run whatever version of iOS you want to LEAVE on your Device (there actually are NO "Forced Upgrades")."

      Until your bank says, "We long longer support your iOS. You have a month to update or else we're cutting you off."

      Which is the only reason why I updated my 5c from 8.xx to 10.3.3. And have continually regretted it.

      --
      Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
    8. Re:Good grief, settle down. by MrDozR · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think you need to vent your frustration at your bank for them developing an app that can't be supported on older OS'.

    9. Re:Good grief, settle down. by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      I'm with the sibling poster (who was either down-modded or just has low karma). This is like blaming Dell because some particular game doesn't run on Linux. For the overwhelming majority of people (Probably 99%+), keeping them on the latest and greatest is the right choice. I have no idea why anybody would *not* want to apply the latest security updates in almost all situations. And if Apple didn't push updates so hard, the same people would complain that Apple "left their users vulnerable."

    10. Re:Good grief, settle down. by magusxxx · · Score: 1

      I didn't mean to imply Apple was at fault. Merely stating that there are instances where you're more or less forced to update. I'm one of those people who think if it's not broke, don't fix it. So I rarely update any OS unless it's absolutely necessary.

      --
      Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
    11. Re:Good grief, settle down. by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      I don't think anybody would argue with that. But with the state of software security today, it's pretty much always absolutely necessary.

    12. Re:Good grief, settle down. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You need a new bank son.

    13. Re:Good grief, settle down. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh yes the typical apple mantra of "its always someone elses fault"

    14. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      "1. You are free to run whatever version of iOS you want to LEAVE on your Device (there actually are NO "Forced Upgrades")."

      Until your bank says, "We long longer support your iOS. You have a month to update or else we're cutting you off."

      Which is the only reason why I updated my 5c from 8.xx to 10.3.3. And have continually regretted it.

      So, let me get this straight:

      It's APPLE's fault that your BANK "forced you" to Upgrade?

      And your BANK Held your Money HOSTAGE, PREVENTING you from going BANK-SHOPPING?

      See the flaw in your logic?

      (BTW, I am typing this on my iPad 2, which CANNOT be Upgraded past iOS 9.xx, and MY Bank lets me use both its older App and its web portal just fine).

      Perhaps it IS time to switch Banks... AND STOP BLAMING APPLE!

    15. Re:Good grief, settle down. by MerlTurkin · · Score: 1

      You mean Aron?

    16. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      Yeah you're entirely free to leave the insecure version of iOS on your phone, unless you want to take all the other shit they force on you.

      So, let me get this straight, Hater:

      1 Apple is teh Evilz if they strongly urge you to Upgrade.

      2. Apple is teh Evilz if they DON'T strongly urge you to Upgrade.

      Is that about it?

    17. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      For example: iOS now automatically turns wireless services back on after you turn them off, without your permission. I work near medical devices. This is an issue. So I can choose to take that, OR, I can choose to have spectre on my phone.

      See the fucking problem?

      It only does that if you use the "Control Panel". If you go to Settings and turn it off, it stays off.

      And they did it the other way to keep people from being annoyed when they forget to turn their WiFi back on, which I'm sure their testing showed happened a LOT.

      I agree it should probably have a dialog asking if you want to re-enable the WiFi; but you DON'T "have to take it". Just turn it off in "Settings" and you'll be good to go!

      See, wasn't that simple?

      So no, I DON'T see the fucking problem. Or rather I do: People will complain no matter what, and are too ignorant to spend 1 second Googling a solution.

    18. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      Who gives a shit if it does that 'only from control panel', firstly, and secondly the wifi button _DOESNT TURN OFF WIFI_. So, let's say you have some non-tech savvy surgeon do this? Should that person have to know how to test that Apple chose to lie to them? If so, why?

      More to the point, it shouldn't fucking do that at all -- and passively discouraging people by burying shit in 5 clicks versus one is basically the same thing.

      Who gives a shit when people get annoyed? We're talking about peoples fucking lives vs phone security. It's not even a choice. You have to accept Apple's decision to make that WIFI auto choice.

      The only thing simple in this thread is your fucking head.

      Actually, I think that they actually did introduce some dialogs and changed the button appearances that more clearly explain what happens with the Control Panel settings vs. the "Settings" App.

      http://www.idownloadblog.com/2...

      Besides, I believe that "Airplane Mode" from the Control Panel actually DOES turn off all radios WITHOUT having to go to the Settings App.

      And it's like two clicks. One to open the Settings App, and another to Open "WLAN" Settings.

      Also, if someone is a surgeon, they are used to having to deal with DOZENS of pieces of equipment with control panels and menus and whatnot, with consequences for "hitting the wrong button" that are FAR more dangerous; so, I'm not worried that they won't be able to absorb this new piece of knowledge. If so, I sure as HELL don't want them operating on ME!!!

      Give it a rest, Hater.

    19. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      Yeah, dealing with medical equipment isn't the same as dealing with a phone. You should see some of the people who are 50+ in the office who literally cannot even write an email. It's kind of astonishing. Also, the base premise remains -- "wireless off?" should mean "wireless off." Not "yeah, mostly off... we're just going to leave on a little wireless, so you can use location services/be tracked. ok?". Off means off, particularly when radio signals can be blamed for interfering with equipment (whether they can or not is a whole other story. I've yet to see one airline crash due to some dude leaving his cellphone on, or whatever, but the liability is there).

      You obviously love Apple, so I'll give you a bone -- they've got a better security model than Android. That's really their only upshot at the moment.

      I never use the Wifi Off (nor Airplane Mode); but I would imagine the reason they made the Control Panel "sort of" disable WiFi is that Apple's Support line glowed red-hot with people calling in mad as hornets because they turned their WiFi off in the Control Panel, and then couldn't use this or that feature (like AirDrop), or simply forgot to switch it back on the next day, and then thought their "WiFi was broken".

      As you said, "old people" (and some not-so-old) are tech-averse, and simply REFUSE to dig-in for even 5 minutes to discover how something REALLY works.

      Bottom line: It is literally impossible to make something truly "idiot proof"; because idiots are a maddeningly-determined bunch! Determined to NEVER LEARN,that is!!!

    20. Re:Good grief, settle down. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      No disagreement there, but I literally cannot use my phone at work now because of said idiots. I also cannot choose to not receive this type of update/change, which was to the earlier point. You go all or nothing with Apple. Don't want the forced reset of your entire icloud master key via your pin pad that came with iOS 10.3 or whatever? Well, too bad you don't get your security updates for Spectre/Meltdown. It's hard to separate security updates and user-content, for sure, but there should be an advanced mode or something -- like, you have to manually restart the phone by holding power and home, restart, hold home while it boots and select 'advanced'. Something mildly technically challenging to get away from the anti-security-but-more-user-friendly-mode they seem to default to now. Also, forced integration of Facebook/Twitter et al needs to die.

      So tell me: Exactly WHICH Mobile OS allows you to do "granular updates"? In any practical sense, be it iOS or Android, unless you go to extreme measures, you take the good with the bad when you install an OS upgrade on a mobile device.

      I'll wait...

      You can do a fair bit of post-update tweaking of iOS if you want to spend some time in the Settings App.

      And just like the utterly untrue "Forced Upgrades" meme, there is ABSOLUTELY NO "Forced Integration" of Facebook/Twitter, or really ANYTHING. I don't even HAVE a FaceBook nor a Twitter account, and I have NEVER been pestered, cajoled, or tricked in ANY way into "integrating" with those "services" by iOS, period!

      So, you are either an utter idiot, or a liar. Or possibly both.

  2. Very useful by pubwvj · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What Apple did is a very useful feature. I would rather have my iOS device slow down than crash because the battery is over taxed by surging processor power needs. Empowering the user is even better so that people who want their devices to crash can be satisfied too. All for that!

    1. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Please pass some of that Apple-flavored Kool-Aid

    2. Re:Very useful by AvitarX · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Even better, have a toggle.

      It's a feature I'd love to be able to turn on even on a brand new phone, and turn off on an old one, depending what I'm doing and my charger situation.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    3. Re:Very useful by Pseudonym · · Score: 5, Insightful

      My mother, who has spent a lot of her life on committees of one form or another, taught me something when I was very young that I have never forgotten: The problem is often not what is done, but the way it is done.

      Probably over half of all first world disputes can be traced to this.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    4. Re:Very useful by burtosis · · Score: 1

      This should apply to new phones that are quite cold. When my 6s+ was outside in 0F with 10 mph wind the battery lasts 10 minutes on a full charge even in a rubber case, this would help things till the phone warmed up.

    5. Re:Very useful by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 2

      It's a feature I'd love to be able to turn on even on a brand new phone

      They do have Low Power Mode, which kinda does that now.

    6. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It might be seen as useful from one point of view and detrimental from another.
      Apple could have made users aware that the slow-down was taking place as well as the reason for it. They chose not to be upfront.
      They could have let you know the battery was degrading in order for you, the customer, to make an informed decision to accept the slow down, replace the battery, or get a new phone.
      Empowering the user with both the knowledge and the choice SHOULD have been the practice all along.
      When you are constantly mistreated, being treated with decency seems praise-worthy even though it should be the norm.
      Apple fanboys are stuck in an abusive relationship and are in denial about how shitty it really is.

    7. Re: Very useful by leeosenton · · Score: 1

      Agreed, but battery condition should have been reported in Settings. No excuse other than it was easier to not disclose the truth. My 6S+ is 2 years old and fine, so I'm not going to let them crack it open.

    8. Re:Very useful by I75BJC · · Score: 1

      I agree. I want my iPhone to last all day. My iPhone IS affected by the update -- it slows down and takes a while to "wake up" during the day BUT I want my iPhone to last ALL day. So this update has been a Welcomed Blessing! I thank Apple for the update! It would have been nice to have notified of the update and it will be nice to have a choice BUT the power management update is a tweak that I definitely appreciate! GO APPLE!

    9. Re: Very useful by slazzy · · Score: 1

      Wake up, this was their lawyer/engineer dream team excuse for slowing down older phones so you'd buy a new one.

      --
      Website Just Down For Me? Find out
    10. Re:Very useful by gravewax · · Score: 1

      really? I would rather have my phone alert me that their is an issue and the battery should be replaced followed by asking me would you like to slow my phone down to reduce the instability till you can get it fixed.

    11. Re: Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What Apple did was lie about the reason to slow down phones! If that bs excuse was true they wouldnâ(TM)t be scrambling to keep customers with cheap batteries and a new performance âoeswitchâ. Useful my ass! All they want is to sell more phones! (Iâ(TM)m on my 4th iPhone)

    12. Re:Very useful by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What Apple did is a very useful feature.

      Stop that. Please. Apple injected a hidden function that slows down iPhones little by little, over time. To the point the user wonders: that thing is barely usable, maybe it's time to purchase the next newer model. That could have been a "feature" if users were made aware of it, and were able to disable it ; the slowness had side effects (the GPS became less accurate for instance) and the user might have chosen to utilize their device at full speed for a day, rather than a crippled phone for two ; also, people, if they'd know, could have chosen to replace the battery ; since the function was hidden, users didn't even know they could just buy a new battery to basically get a new phone. That's definitely not a feature ; this is an intentional hack to make people think their phone is "too old and needs to be replaced with a new one".

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    13. Re: Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      3 year old Android still benchmarking within 10% of new, on original battery, and theyâ(TM)re slowing down 1 year-old iPhone 7â(TM)s, even while plugged in. GO APPLE! I am in the psychiatric pursuits, and I used to treat some of the Apple faithful. I understand some of the hostility toward them, but they are not bad people. More often than not, it was run of the mill borrowed self-esteem, not unlike what we see in sports fans. One thing that was universal was low self-esteem, and Apple devotion gave them an identity. A sense of belonging to something they could not get elsewhere. They view an attack on Apple as an attack on themselves and their identity. Much like we cannot see our own flaws, they cannot see their chosen proxyâ(TM)s flaws. No amount of arguing will change it. Just accept it, and try to have empathy.

    14. Re:Very useful by Freischutz · · Score: 2

      What Apple did is a very useful feature.

      Stop that. Please. Apple injected a hidden function that slows down iPhones little by little, over time. To the point the user wonders: that thing is barely usable, maybe it's time to purchase the next newer model. That could have been a "feature" if users were made aware of it, and were able to disable it ; the slowness had side effects (the GPS became less accurate for instance) and the user might have chosen to utilize their device at full speed for a day, rather than a crippled phone for two ; also, people, if they'd know, could have chosen to replace the battery ; since the function was hidden, users didn't even know they could just buy a new battery to basically get a new phone. That's definitely not a feature ; this is an intentional hack to make people think their phone is "too old and needs to be replaced with a new one".

      Oh, users were made aware of 'the 'feature' all right. The power management feature was introduced in one of those Apple keynote events and every user got a splash screen with 'new features in macOS ' so there is little justification to complain about a power management feature in a mobile device being 'hidden' with some kind of malicious intent. Furthermore it is entirely predictable that while you don't notice it on newer phones in normal use when CPU performance is degraded by the energy saver algorithm to extend battery life, you will notice it on older phones who are getting close to barely being able to run the latest OS smoothly even with a new battery and no PM algorithm active. You have a point about being able to switch the PM algorithm off though. I carry a spare battery and a 5 cm lightning cable with me and I don't really care about a slightly shorter batter life, I'd rather have the performance as long as the phone charge lasts me a day (which it usually does and if it stops doing that I'll take it in for a battery replacement). Furthermore, Apple have now removed the ability to see the battery cycle count which is pretty annoying.

    15. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Phones don't do wind chill. So the wind speed is irrelevant

    16. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even better, have a toggle.

      Yeah, because giving someone the option to do something incredibly stupid sure as hell isn't going to get them sued.

    17. Re:Very useful by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Like the "low power mode" that is toggleable on Android handsets?

    18. Re: Very useful by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      3 year old Android still benchmarking within 10% of new, on original battery, and theyâ(TM)re slowing down 1 year-old iPhone 7â(TM)s, even while plugged in. GO APPLE!

      My over 3 year old iPhone 6 Plus is at 93% battery health, and Benchmarks ABOVE the GeekBench target scores.

      Now what?

      BTW, it seems that YOU have the mental problems, especially with your snap-judgement regarding the mental health of certain people, based solely on their platform choice.

      In fact, you really shouldn't be in the mental health-care field at all. You are highly unprofessional, to say the least!

    19. Re:Very useful by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Most Android phones have this features. If you enable battery saver mode it usually underclocks the CPU, as well as reducing GPU performance and limiting background apps even more than usual.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    20. Re: Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed, but battery condition should have been reported in Settings. No excuse other than it was easier to not disclose the truth.

      "Whine! Apple is telling people to replace perfectly fine batteries!"

    21. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually they do. You have mixed up windchill with evaporative cooling.

    22. Re:Very useful by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Unless people got a pop-up message saying "sorry, due to a design flaw we had to slow your phone down, give us $75 to speed it up again" then they were not informed.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    23. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everything does wind chill. Why do you think heatsinks have fans?

    24. Re: Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you should book an appointment?

    25. Re:Very useful by grasshoppa · · Score: 1

      If you want a real world example of this, go serve on your child's "parent educator" committee. Every school has one, although it's often under different names or could even be handled by the local PTA equivalent. It's where parents "help" the school decide how to spend a portion of district funds on campus.

      This help usually entails rubber stamping what the administration has already decided. So why do it then? Because that way if any other parent complains about the use of the funds, the administration can point to the parent volunteers and say, "Well parents decided this was the best course of action".

      Using this model, Apple should have formed a "steering" committee made up of developers and users of their products to handle decisions like this. Hell, keep the decisions under wraps for all I care, but it would have given them a way to muddy up the waters on any blowback from users.

      That's if the real purpose of such a feature were not simply to force an upgrade cycle, which you'd have to be far more optimistic than I to believe.

      --
      Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
    26. Re:Very useful by MSG · · Score: 1

      I've had innumerable mobile computing devices over the last 25 years, and quite a few of them for a long time. I have NEVER seen one of them spontaneously reboot because the battery couldn't output enough power at some point before the charge, measured by the battery monitor, depleted.

      If Apple's devices can't run at normal speed without crashing, 12-18 months after purchase, then they're possibly the shittiest device sold in decades.

      I can't believe people accept such claptrap.

    27. Re:Very useful by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      Not exactly. The power management as it is and how it works was not detailed in a keynote before December 2017. In iOS 10.2, "iOS 10.2 also adds a telemetry diagnostic tool that Apple can use to report battery consumption" ; the "slowdown feature" was included in 10.2.1 but it's only "On December 28, 2017 Apple acknowledged that this update changed the power management during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE. Wikipedia source.

      The feature was announced as "power management improvement" early on, but it didn't clearly detail what the side effect would be: that is, slowing down older iphones.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    28. Re: Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What, exactly are you crying about? If the battery is "perfectly fine", then the Settings tab will report it as such.

      Critical thinking is not your strong suit.

    29. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My aerogel suit of armor laughs at your wind chill.

    30. Re: Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My over 3 year old iPhone benchmarks ABOVE the GeekBench target scores.

      No, it doesn't.

    31. Re:Very useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've had laptops and phones from multiple brands start showing an erratic charge level once in a while, i.e. dropping precipitously and reverting and sometimes doing the emergency shutdown when the gauge showed over 50% charge only seconds before. Eventually, it can get to the point where it won't even boot because of the confused power system.

      This is very common, and leads to a whole cottage industry of voodoo around "battery calibration" where users convince themselves that the battery must be fine and the OS needs to be taught a lesson. The behavior is just random enough that the users can pretend they see correlation in the fact that it seems to work again for a little while after one of these events. But in reality, the battery just gets more and more spastic, so that it is ever easier to cause an over-draw of power.

      In the cases where it has been economically viable, I replaced the battery and immediately had a brand new device experience. But sometimes the repair would cost as much as a newer replacement device, so I just move on and create more e-waste...

    32. Re:Very useful by burtosis · · Score: 1

      I was just noticing the similarity between duck down and an aerogel, so your comment is pretty damn accurate lmao.

    33. Re:Very useful by pubwvj · · Score: 1

      "Stop that. Please. Apple injected a hidden function that slows down iPhones little by little, over time."

      Wow. Censor much?

      You don't like the feature.
      I do like the feature.
      In fact, several other people posting here like it too.
      Just because you don't like the feature we should not be censored from discussing it.

      So. Stop. That. NOW! right back at you. Don't censor. (/irony)

    34. Re:Very useful by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      Again, the "feature" as it is was not detailed as it had to be (basically, slows down iPhones).
      Release notes said precisely at the time:
      "iOS 10.2.1 includes bug fixes (...) It also improves power management during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone". here.
      It's not a like/not like issue. It's incomplete and misleading information from Apple leading people not knowing why their iPhone is slow, slowness that might be fixed thanks to a battery change.
      What I don't like, though, it's people here spreading the wrong information.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  3. Having become Microsoft, did we? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    War is peace.
    Freedom is slavery.
    Bugs are features.

    (Ancient saying from the Internets.)

  4. at least we aren't crazy by speedlaw · · Score: 0, Troll

    All this time Apple has been gaslighting us....yes, boys and girls, the update DOES slow down your igadger....

  5. Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    This is something that could be solved if the phone was made marginally thicker to support a slightly higher voltage battery.

    Where is the outrage over something that is literally "defective by design"? Cell phone manufactures fucked up big time here. Apple is getting away with this because they're pushing it as some unavoidable thing, and their software patches are here to save the day. This is 100% irrelevant and they know it. There should have been a recall over all the handhelds sold in this state. They knew what would happen, and they chose to ignore it because "OMG MAH THIN DEEEVICES". You can't tell me that a company with > $200B in the bank didn't know how their batteries would react with age and how this would cause the CPU to brown out and automatically reset itself.

    They're scrambling now to produce a software patch because it's clear this is a huge PR issue for them **AND** they know users are falling for the whole "it's a software issue, sorry" thing when the actual hardware design is borked. Yes, this can be mitigated by software. Doesn't change the fact that the design is bad, and Apple willingly sold these devices knowing full well what would happen to them as they aged.

    That's what people should be outraged about. Buying a premium device for a premium price and getting something that Apple knew would fail in N years and would require silicon throttling just to prevent the issue from rebooting the phone. It may not have been willful planned obsolescence, but Apple damned well knew what they were doing when they sold these devices and continued to sell them without a full recall.

    1. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My Samsung bricked itself 4 days after I became eligible for a new phone. Shady stuff isn't new.

    2. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by speedlaw · · Score: 1

      Naah, willful planned obsolescence. Battery replacement isn't rocket science, and any gadget that does not allow replacement of the first most likely to fail component will have a short service life. Making a device with a tough to replace battery ? Thanks guys !

    3. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dont worry the lawsuits will be bringing up this design defect. Only the most delusional apple apologist will try and sweep that fact under the rug.

    4. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by slick7 · · Score: 1

      Naah, willful planned obsolescence. Battery replacement isn't rocket science, and any gadget that does not allow replacement of the first most likely to fail component will have a short service life. Making a device with a tough to replace battery ? Thanks guys !

      If you say lemmings slow enough, it sounds like gullible.

      --
      The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
    5. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where is the outrage over something that is literally "defective by design"?

      I know it. There's never any internet outrage about Apple. None at all. Nope, sorry, nothing.

    6. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Llllleeeeeeeeemmmmmiiiiiiiinnnnnggggggssssss.

      Nope, doesn't sound like gullible.

    7. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound gullible.

    8. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      That sounds like a "My IBM" comment from 1987.

      Does Apple REALLY still need a well-formed psuedo-opponent to pose themselves against?

    9. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess the shows how competent the iPhone user base really is.

    10. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When I bought my new car it came with some really nice tires. But after like a year or two the shop said I needed to buy new tires since the old ones were worn out for driving so much. Why would they not last? I should be able to break and do curves at high speed without swerving all the time.

      This must be real bad design from the auto makers. I mean, Iâ(TM)m sure they new this when they sold me that car, but they did not tell me.
      Is there a class action suit somewhere I can join?

    11. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound gullible.

      No you do, he didn't say, Llllleeeeeeeeemmmmmiiiiiiiinnnnnggggggssssss slowly, he wrote it slowly.

    12. Re:Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "This is something that could be solved if the phone was made marginally thicker to support a slightly higher voltage battery."

      There are power sleeves for that. Only teens use them 'as is', because otherwise, nobody sees that they have the newest gizmo.

    13. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you know that gullible isn't in the dictionary? However, lemming is in the dictionary.

    14. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This may very well be the worst analogy I have ever had the displeasure of reading.

      You fail at life, AC.

    15. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except your tires have an expected lifetime that is listed on the tires themselves and on a lot of the paperwork that you undoubtedly glossed over. The salesman probably even verbally told you the life expectancy of the tires. It was probably even mentioned in the commercial for the car you bought. Poor choice of analogies

    16. Re: Why no backlash against their design? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      That's better than 4 days before. You're bitter you missed the window. Hehe

  6. That's nice by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    Not what I needed. What I needed to know was you were doing it in the first place before I replace two iPhones due to performance issues instead of buying new batteries.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  7. And so it is by SuperKendall · · Score: 0, Troll

    And that is exactly what Apple has done; provided a toggle so people can turn this off if they like phones that do not last as long on battery when the batteries age.

    Why would anyone flip that switch? I'm personally not sure, but that's how every other phone in the world works today so...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:And so it is by AvitarX · · Score: 4, Insightful

      An example may be I'm in an office with chargers, and I find the snow down irritating. I can keep it in high performance mode (also called performance I thought I'd have when I tried it in the store and purchased it, except maybe it feels less snappy as the newer apps want even more), but also, if I'm out all day, I can put it in low performance mode.

      Why would your personal preference of battery over performance only apply to a degraded battery?

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    2. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No this is apple exclusive physics. I have never had a phone with these magical battery properties apple is now claiming.

    3. Re:And so it is by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      An example may be I'm in an office with chargers, and I find the snow down irritating.

      Then why would you not have it plugged in - at which point there would be no slowdown...

      Why would your personal preference of battery over performance only apply to a degraded battery?

      It doesn't - but there's already a low power mode switch for exactly that scenario.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    4. Re:And so it is by AvitarX · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      So the current (but soon to be fixed?) behavior is to put the phone in low power mode and disable the ability to turn it off after a certain amount of time, and you think that's best setup?

      Example in an office where I may want full speed while not plugged in? Maybe when I'm in the cafeteria at lunch and want to fuck about playing games even if it will drain 50% of my battery in that half hour, it doesn't matter, it will be plugged in for the four hours afterwards.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    5. Re:And so it is by edwdig · · Score: 4, Informative

      The issue isn't about how long the battery lasts. It's about how much power the battery can supply at a given moment. There's a huge variance in how much power the phone needs depending on what you're doing at the moment. Accessing flash memory, enabling GPS/camera/bluetooth, downloading data, stressing the CPU, are all things that will make the power draw go up. You need to make sure the battery can handle the power spikes. If the battery can't handle the load, the phone just shuts off with no warning.

      The update slows the phone down any time the battery can't output enough power. Most of the attention is focused on old batteries, but cold weather can trigger it too. The original reason for the change was to deal with new phones with plenty of battery power remaining abruptly shutting off in winter weather. The phones wouldn't turn on again until you got them indoors in warmer air, at which point they'd realize they had plenty of power remaining.

      They didn't make it configurable because their main concern was making sure people outdoors with ice & snow on the ground had functional phones.

    6. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An example may be I'm in an office with chargers, and I find the snow down irritating.

      Even with a charger there's only so much snow you can melt.

    7. Re:And so it is by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Here’s the problem I have with this whole story. If the reason Apple provided explained the situation 100%, then we should have been hearing reports of older iPhones suddenly crashing at ~30% battery charge for years. But we didn’t... the issue only started rearing it’s head after iOS 10.x came around.

      So why didn’t older iPhones have this problem with iOS 9, or 8, or earlier?

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    8. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An example may be I'm in an office with chargers, and I find the snow down irritating.

      Isn't this what happens right now? My Android, if it's in power saving mode and I connect it to the charger it automatically changes to performance (you can see it on the screen brightness, for instance). Doesn't iPhone, such an innovative device, have the same?

    9. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An example may be I'm in an office with chargers, and I find the snow down irritating. I can keep it in high performance mode (also called performance I thought I'd have when I tried it in the store and purchased it, except maybe it feels less snappy as the newer apps want even more), but also, if I'm out all day, I can put it in low performance mode.

      Why would your personal preference of battery over performance only apply to a degraded battery?

      So what you want is a toggle that throttles your iPhone while it is on a charger, because currently it doesn't throttle while it is on a charger? Yeah, that makes sense.

    10. Re:And so it is by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      The issue isn't about how long the battery lasts. It's about how much power the battery can supply at a given moment. There's a huge variance in how much power the phone needs depending on what you're doing at the moment. Accessing flash memory, enabling GPS/camera/bluetooth, downloading data, stressing the CPU, are all things that will make the power draw go up. You need to make sure the battery can handle the power spikes. If the battery can't handle the load, the phone just shuts off with no warning.

      The update slows the phone down any time the battery can't output enough power. Most of the attention is focused on old batteries, but cold weather can trigger it too. The original reason for the change was to deal with new phones with plenty of battery power remaining abruptly shutting off in winter weather. The phones wouldn't turn on again until you got them indoors in warmer air, at which point they'd realize they had plenty of power remaining.

      They didn't make it configurable because their main concern was making sure people outdoors with ice & snow on the ground had functional phones.

      EXACTLY!!!

      Mod Parent Up.

    11. Re:And so it is by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      Here’s the problem I have with this whole story. If the reason Apple provided explained the situation 100%, then we should have been hearing reports of older iPhones suddenly crashing at ~30% battery charge for years. But we didn’t... the issue only started rearing it’s head after iOS 10.x came around.

      So why didn’t older iPhones have this problem with iOS 9, or 8, or earlier?

      Because, as the CPU/GPU speed/number of cores, etc. went up in models that happened to be released at the same time as those versions of iOS, the ability for those systems to MOMENTARILY draw enough power to cause a dip in battery-voltage deliverable to the system (and thus a power-management panic) increased to the point where it wasn't as rare of an occurence as it once was.

    12. Re:And so it is by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      An example may be I'm in an office with chargers, and I find the snow down irritating.

      Isn't this what happens right now? My Android, if it's in power saving mode and I connect it to the charger it automatically changes to performance (you can see it on the screen brightness, for instance). Doesn't iPhone, such an innovative device, have the same?

      Actually, it does.

    13. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So apple made a device that was over speced and/or under powered; all so they could sell phone based on their super fast chips that have to be throttled after several months of use. Design flaw!

    14. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so what your saying is the apple engineers are shit and deliberately designed a faulty device.

      or apple acted fraudulently knowing they were selling phones capable of running at the advertised speed.

    15. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL apples power saving mode is so lame they had to write a secret hidden power saving mode to compensate for it. And i t looks like that one was not properly coded too. apple sucks at writing software.

    16. Re:And so it is by upl8n87447 · · Score: 2

      That's actually pretty funny. They tout how much faster their phones are than other companies', but after months of use they suddenly slow down. Has anyone done tests on just how much this was slowing phones down?

    17. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cooke must have lit up the Apple signal. SuperTurd to the rescue!

    18. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are we talking surges that could be smoothed out with a super capacitor? Or can the phone out-draw its battery's current in a steady-state condition, i.e. before thermal throttling kicks in anyway?

    19. Re:And so it is by Ziktar · · Score: 1

      I've been reporting issues of my phones crashing in cold temperatures for the last 3 years to Apple. They tried replacing the phone, but it still crashed.

      To reproduce, take a phone at 50% or less charge to a location that is below freezing, and then go take a bunch of pictures. Make sure the phone is outside and not put back against your warm skin. The phone will shut off, and won't turn back on again until it's warm. Once you warm it up, it'll power on and say it has 30-50% battery remaining, and so long as you don't do anything taxing, it'll still last a long time.

    20. Re:And so it is by edwdig · · Score: 1

      It's been an issue for several years. It was definitely an issue with the 6S running iOS 9. It took Apple a while to pinpoint the problem. At first they found a batch of batteries with manufacturing flaws and thought that was the problem and did a recall. Then they realized it was a bigger issue and came up with the software fix.

      Also remember that each year phones get more features added. More CPU cores, another camera, additional sensors, newer wireless standards, etc. As they add more components, the difference between average and peak power draw gets bigger. The issue didn't become obvious until the phones got more complex. Nobody is going to think much of it if an old phone suddenly shutoffs off with 10-15% battery remaining, because the battery meter tends not to be that accurate anymore.

    21. Re:And so it is by edwdig · · Score: 1

      I don't remember the numbers, but there are tools you can download off the app store to find out the CPU clockspeed. You have to wear the battery down a lot for the slowdown to kick in. I've got a 6S that's over two years old and the battery is still fine. The phone is still running the CPU at full speed.

      The previous two winters I had a bunch of unexpected shutdowns when walking in cold weather, but so far it hasn't happened this winter. The feature seems to be working as designed.

    22. Re:And so it is by beanpoppa · · Score: 2

      It's not just about the battery life being shorter in full power mode on an old battery. It's that during high drain situations, the battery couldn't provide the amperage necessary and it would cause instability and the phone to crash.

    23. Re:And so it is by ewibble · · Score: 1

      If this is the case how they providing an option to turn this feature off? Is this switch called please randomly crash my phone? If this truly is an issue just display a warning saying your phone battery is old please replace.

      Do other phones experience the same thing?

    24. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So the current (but soon to be fixed?) behavior is to put the phone in low power mode and disable the ability to turn it off after a certain amount of time, and you think that's best setup?

      Example in an office where I may want full speed while not plugged in? Maybe when I'm in the cafeteria at lunch and want to fuck about playing games even if it will drain 50% of my battery in that half hour, it doesn't matter, it will be plugged in for the four hours afterwards.

      Dude, that IS what low power mode is for and has been in iPhones for years!

    25. Re:And so it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here’s the problem I have with this whole story. If the reason Apple provided explained the situation 100%, then we should have been hearing reports of older iPhones suddenly crashing at ~30% battery charge for years. But we didn’t... the issue only started rearing it’s head after iOS 10.x came around.

      So why didn’t older iPhones have this problem with iOS 9, or 8, or earlier?

      This is untrue, my iPhone 5s would infect shut down with 30, even 60% battery left if I took a picture with flash with GPS and/or music in the background. None of my iPhones since have done it, but my 5s certainly did. In fact I deeply wish I had this feature back then, I permanently lost many precious moments I wanted to photograph.

      My HTC Evo android phone did it as well.

    26. Re:And so it is by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      If this is the case how they providing an option to turn this feature off? Is this switch called please randomly crash my phone?

      It should be; or possibly, the "Ok, you asked for it!" Switch.

      If this truly is an issue just display a warning saying your phone battery is old please replace.

      Yeahrightsure. You mean the "Please Contact the Class-Action Lawyer For Frivolous Lawsuit" Notification?

      Do other phones experience the same thing?

      Yes. THIS is why ALL the Class-Action Bullshit-Suits are DOOMED...

      Samsung:

      https://www.google.com/search?...

      HTC:

      https://www.google.com/search?...

      LG:

      https://www.google.com/search?...

      Even Older iPhones (that the meme says "Never used to shut off!") :

      https://www.google.com/search?...

      Get the Picture?

  8. I dont know whats worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    apples continual lying and screwing over of the tech industry or the mindless sheep that cheer them on.

  9. the fruits of tax evasion by sxpert · · Score: 1

    Apple has been forgetting to pay their taxes in Europe... yet, they seem happy to pay taxes in the US... It's time to pay up !

    1. Re:the fruits of tax evasion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Europe is a cesspool.

    2. Re:the fruits of tax evasion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yep, but at least it is still significantly better than the US. regardless of cesspool status the tax evasion of large corps needs to end and end fast. Apple and everyone else have exploited everyone for way too long now.

    3. Re:the fruits of tax evasion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You need Trump! You want Trump? He's yourz! Guaranteed to rid you of your muslim problem e pluribus unum!

  10. Phase 2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is phase 2?

    1. Re: Phase 2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Phase 2 is your plan, remember?

    2. Re: Phase 2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      9 is my plan. Finger me. But I expect dinner.

  11. Sidestepped the point by wickerprints · · Score: 0, Troll

    The real issue is that the computing and display hardware of modern smartphones have a much longer serviceable lifespan than the battery. Many users could easily use the same phone for 3 - 5 years before feeling there's value in upgrading. But the battery is nearly always the first component to go (unless you break the display).

    So, the decision to make the phone virtually impossible for the average user to open, to make the battery as difficult as possible to replace, cannot be seen as anything but an attempt to force users to upgrade more frequently and increase revenue. And this is where the problem really lies--the planned obsolescence propped up by the myth that these devices get slower or perform poorly after a few years.

    If Apple and other smartphone manufacturers were truly sincere about doing the right thing, they would make models with user replaceable batteries. Rather than shaving off another 0.5 mm from an already thin device (after all, has anyone actually complained that their device is too thick?); rather than fucking around with software that tells you when your battery is failing (you don't need the phone to tell you what you already figured out from using it); rather than offering discounted battery replacements, which only serves to deflect from the truth--they just need to give the user the ability to do what they used to be able to do with mobile phones.

    To those manufacturers who do offer smartphones with user replaceable batteries, kudos. Sadly, you are at a competitive disadvantage for your customer-friendly decision.

    1. Re:Sidestepped the point by Camembert · · Score: 2

      I actually had my 6Plus battery replaced at the Apple store shortly before this situation blew up (out of proportion).
      I missed my phone less than 2 hours, meanwhile I did some household shopping nearby.
      2 hours in 4 years use, that is not too bad, even very acceptable for having a thinner device, and in the case of more recent iphones than mine also having decent water resistance.
      Hence I don't miss the user replaceability.

    2. Re:Sidestepped the point by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      So, the decision to make the phone virtually impossible for the average user to open, to make the battery as difficult as possible to replace, cannot be seen as anything but an attempt to force users to upgrade

      It's almost impossible for the average person to maintain a modern car. That doesn't mean you throw them away at the 10k mile service and buy another one. iPhone battery replacement services are dime a dozen even if you don't want to pay Apple to do it the official way. Your argument makes no sense.

      If Apple and other smartphone manufacturers were truly sincere about doing the right thing, they would make models with user replaceable batteries.

      Why? The cost of getting the battery replaced is tiny compared to the cost of the battery itself. Same for your car: Cost of battery $100, cost of labour to install $25. And no I won't do it myself because I don't have the extension bit on my wrench to reach the bracket holding it down and I don't want to deal with the cost of disposal of the old one.

      Service industries exist for a reason.

    3. Re:Sidestepped the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and in the case of more recent iphones than mine also having decent water resistance.
      Hence I don't miss the user replaceability.

      Stop deluding yourself. Water resistance is not related to the battery being replaceable or not. It's related to how good the seal is. My Samsung S5 mini is water resistant, the battery is replaceable, there is a headphone jack and it has a normal micro-USB port. Stop believing everything Apple tells you. They're not your friends. And even if they were, you wouldn't blindly trust your friends, would you?

    4. Re:Sidestepped the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If Apple and other smartphone manufacturers were truly sincere about doing the right thing, they would make models with user replaceable batteries.

      Why? The cost of getting the battery replaced is tiny compared to the cost of the battery itself. Same for your car: Cost of battery $100, cost of labour to install $25. And no I won't do it myself because I don't have the extension bit on my wrench to reach the bracket holding it down and I don't want to deal with the cost of disposal of the old one.

      Service industries exist for a reason.

      Why? Because they can! Because by sealing them and making an approved battery cost $100 most people will say "screw that, I'll just get a new one through my contract." Whereas if the batteries were easy to swap you could just head to the nearest shop and buy a $40 battery and keep your phone for two or three more years.
      Yes, service industries exist for people who don't want to go to the trouble of "doing X". But just as I can fix this heater at my place because I can unscrew the back cover and buy the replacement pieces, I should be able to do the same with my phone. Alas, if I do that on an iPhone and eventually head back to Apple for an unrelated problem, they will tell me to go screw myself...

    5. Re:Sidestepped the point by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I partly agree, but what is so importat in 'user replaceable'?
      I just give my iPhone 4S to a shop, pay $12 and get it back 20 minutes (max!) later.

      Buying the battery for $5 and $2 stamp, getting it from the post office - because I'm most certainly not at home when the delievery is (probably going there by tram, paying another $2), finding time at the weekend or afternoon to change it ... it simply not worth the efford, to save 3 or 4 bucks. (The money example above is in Thailand, I mean the $12 for replacing it in Paris it would probably $20)

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    6. Re:Sidestepped the point by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Except they didn't do that. Even before the newer discounts the cost of a complete battery replacement including labour was $79 from an apple store, or about $40 from your local phone shop. The new battery complete with install costs 8%-15% of the cost of a new phone. If that pushes you towards new then you are either biased towards a new phone anyway and wouldn't buy a replacement battery in the first place, or you're incredibly stupid.

      You can fix the iPhone battery yourself. It's actually incredibly easy and few people screw it up on apple devices even first go. If you buy an aftermarket battery you'll likely also get a complete kit with tools and instructions.

    7. Re:Sidestepped the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, the decision to make the phone virtually impossible for the average user to open, to make the battery as difficult as possible to replace, cannot be seen as anything but an attempt to force users to upgrade

      It's almost impossible for the average person to maintain a modern car. That doesn't mean you throw them away at the 10k mile service and buy another one. iPhone battery replacement services are dime a dozen even if you don't want to pay Apple to do it the official way. Your argument makes no sense.

      If Apple and other smartphone manufacturers were truly sincere about doing the right thing, they would make models with user replaceable batteries.

      Why? The cost of getting the battery replaced is tiny compared to the cost of the battery itself. Same for your car: Cost of battery $100, cost of labour to install $25. And no I won't do it myself because I don't have the extension bit on my wrench to reach the bracket holding it down and I don't want to deal with the cost of disposal of the old one.

      Service industries exist for a reason.

      Many places (in the US) do a free install if you buy a car battery from them. Also, there is a core charge on car batteries (they give you money when you return the old one). Ratchet extensions are super cheap.

    8. Re:Sidestepped the point by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      You paid $75 to replace a $10 part. My girlfriend lives about 2.5 hours from the nearest Apple Store. Samsung phones have replaceable batteries (and headphone jacks) and yet are still fully submersible.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    9. Re: Sidestepped the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You may well be eligable for thr $50 refund then.

    10. Re:Sidestepped the point by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      And the OP knew (or should have known) at the time of purchase that the battery wasn't replaceable and that it would cost $75 if needed. Apple collects a high margin on battery replacements. So what? I guess some people feel like they are violated if they buy something and the vendor actually gets to make a decent margin.

    11. Re:Sidestepped the point by upl8n87447 · · Score: 1

      "They're not your friends."

      Exactly. This Android vs Apple debate thing is nothing but unwarranted fanboi loyalty run amok. These are companies that simply want your money. The more the merrier. They make choices to maximize the amount of revenue and profit they can make off of you. A lot of people didn't even choose their brand after trying both and selecting their preferred device. They did so because it was trendy. (or the anti-trend)

      Then, once people have the company's phone in hand, they defend the company's business practices no matter how shady. It's silly. Apple pulled a fast one on iPhone owners. Get over it.

    12. Re:Sidestepped the point by upl8n87447 · · Score: 1

      Well, just to add to this, we had a cellular industry in the US that was pushing for 2 year upgrades; claiming they were either free or very cheap, but then they were subsidizing the phone cost through the expensive cellular plans. In that case, people didn't need to give much consideration to battery life. They could get screwed over in total, blissful, ignorance.

      Now that cell plans are moving to a non-subsidized model; it makes holding on to a phone for more than 2 years more attractive. In doing so, battery life is absolutely critical; for both retaining a phone for longer, and in re-sale value. During the subsidized model, you would return your phone, they would cheaply refurbish it, and then re-sell it for a good chunk of change. That was lost value to the owner and more profits for the network providers / phone companies.

    13. Re:Sidestepped the point by mlw4428 · · Score: 1

      > If Apple and other smartphone manufacturers were truly sincere about doing the right thing, they would make models with user replaceable batteries. Rather than shaving off another 0.5 mm from an already thin device

      But that's the problem. You're conflating what YOU want with what the majority of consumers have proven they want. The frank matter is that probably 90+% of the market doesn't care about replacing batteries. Probably 80-90% of the market WANTS to replace their phone each year and why is that? The phone has become a status symbol. The general public WANTS to be the guy with the latest and greatest phone with all of the latest snapinstagramvr-cool feature. Personally I don't mind paying, what, $80 for a new battery from Apple. Why? Because I don't have to deal with it AND I get a thinner device. But hell I paid for the extended Apple Care plan and that makes it possible for me to NOT care and by the time the phone comes out of warranty in 2 years, it'll be time for an upgrade (for me) anyways. And with the Apple upgrade plan I can upgrade next year if I want. I (and really anyone else) has a ton of options - user replaceable batteries just don't serve me/us.

    14. Re:Sidestepped the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You paid $75 to replace a $10 part. My girlfriend lives about 2.5 hours from the nearest Apple Store. Samsung phones have replaceable batteries (and headphone jacks) and yet are still fully submersible.

      Show me where you can find a legitimate lithium ion battery with as much capacity(actual, not stated) as the stock iPhone battery for an iPhone for 10$.

      Go on, I'll wait.

    15. Re: Sidestepped the point by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Are you really that ignorant? Apple's cost on a battery is $2-$6 depending on capacity. What you buy for $25 (with tools) already went through at least two markups.

    16. Re:Sidestepped the point by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Many places (in the US) do a free install if you buy a car battery from them.

      Same with most places where you buy a phone battery. Also you forgot the "" around "free".

      Also, there is a core charge on car batteries (they give you money when you return the old one)

      Not everywhere.

      Ratchet extensions are super cheap

      A pentalobe screwdriver is $1 off ebay, the rest of the equipment you have in your home already.

  12. My experience with Apple re: the batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I went in and said I wanted a replacement battery. This lousy hipster tried to guilt trip me by saying I should "consider the ecological impact" of taking advantage of the offer. I said okay...I still want the replacement.

    I didn't cause this problem; Apple did. I don't need some tree hugger trying to guilt trip me. Apple can recycle my old battery. Just replace the battery and fix the problem YOUR company caused without the Greenpeace pitch.

    Then he asked for my passcode so they could run diagnostics. I said no, you're not getting my passcode.

    Needless to say he and I didn't get along.

  13. This is fantastic news! by tlambert · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This is fantastic news!

    Everyone who is upset about the phone shutting down when it's in danger of simply shutting of on over-current, and destroying their filesystem, rather than showing down, can turn it off.

    And then their iPhones, instead of slowing down, will shut off and destroy their filesystems.

    And then they won't be able to call anyone to bitch about it, because they will have bricked their iPhones.

    Genius!

    1. Re:This is fantastic news! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Phones don't just shutdown because of overcurrent from old batteries. Phones shutdown due to poor battery system design.

      Protip: If you can put enough power into your phone to fully charge it in an hour, you can pull that current out at the same rate if not much higher.

      Stop excusing Apple's fuckups.

      Posted while sitting next to a 3 year old Galaxy S5 which works just fine except that the battery only lasts about 20min if I use it for navigation because it's just that quite fucked. But hey it doesn't reboot, and there's no reason for it to.

    2. Re:This is fantastic news! by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      If the iOS filesystem is so crap that it can be corrupted by sudden power loss, and if the recover mechanism is so shit that it can't recover from a corrupt filesystem... Well, that's a design flaw, not the user's fault.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:This is fantastic news! by tlambert · · Score: 1

      If the iOS filesystem is so crap that it can be corrupted by sudden power loss, and if the recover mechanism is so shit that it can't recover from a corrupt filesystem... Well, that's a design flaw, not the user's fault.

      It's not entirely screwed up.

      I mean, it's not like it's EXT3 or something. It actually commits transactions to stable storage before returning that the write completed to the kernel.

      This issue is really one of lost data that's been cached in places like the address book or in the caller ID log, etc.m which has not been written to stable storage by commcenter or whatever other App happens to be involved.

      So it's more like the data in cache is lost.

      Hmmm... I guess it *is* like EXT3...

      In any case, the issue is a problem, if you have crap running, and the phone shuts off on you in the middle of a 911 call because some at BookFace or some other company used a busy loop in their App that they let run all the time consuming power.

      The thing is a phone first, a computer second, and if it can't fulfill it's primary role, it's no good.

      You do realize that Samsung and Nokia have both come out and stated they do the same damn thing, for the same damn reason, right?

      That It's battery technology that sucks?

      If you give a damn about it, become a battery chemist and fix it; the rest of us will live with a "degraded" Angry Birds experience. It's not like you need more than 30 FPS anyway, it's not like an F'ing screen can display data faster than it's refresh rate divided by its interleave anyway.

      F'ing idiot gamers...

  14. Future by rotovator · · Score: 1

    appler: It's just that we'll make sure that the update will be in the future, long future.

  15. this is some wounderful apple compost thry are pet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I cant think anyone buys in to that lame ass excuse. This should be investigated same as Wolksvagen dieselgate cos Apple seems to have made more money than germany tricking people to buy new phones.
    Even i was avare of this fact with no way to prove it with the first 3 gen iphones when a new one came out. Go Android with manual poversave switch..

    only some true evangelists can beleive this garbage.

  16. The hunt for millimeters. by CptLoRes · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This entire problem pretty much boils down to the obsessive need to make the next slimmest phone on the marked, while still being more powerful then the last model. And while mobile processing technology is improving, we are still using and demanding more and more from the the same decades old Lithium battery technology.

  17. When you apologize for doing wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A apologize is done when you have done a person or person's wrong. Really difficult to defend Apple anymore, they make bad decisions that at least look on the surface not to benefit customers, but to benefit Apple.

  18. That's not enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not sufficient to allow users to toggle the slowdown without also informing them that the battery is in a state where the OS is likely decide to throttle the device. Apple's way doesn't allow the users to make an informed decision on either the toggle ir in replacing the battery.

    But if Apple did that the right way, users would know how long Apple batteries last. And that would be bad for business, especially ehen customers compare it to the competition...

    1. Re:That's not enough by supremebob · · Score: 1

      In defense of Apple, they did show a warning in the battery settings screen when they noticed that the battery capacity was diminished and that you might "experience issues" (I don't remember the exact wording) until the battery is replaced. I saw it on my iPhone 6 when the battery went bad on it.

      They didn't say that they were going to throttle the device to keep the device from crashing, though, or give you a way of turning that feature off. I think that's why everyone is so pissed off about this.

    2. Re: That's not enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't the issue (according to Apple) related to the maximum charge the battery can sustain rather than its capacity? Not sure the capacity warning is related to the throttling.

  19. It's not a 'power managemenet' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "it's called hobbling Paul...."

  20. Modern car? by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

    Last time I checked modern cars still used internal combustion engines. Other than programming the ECU all the mechanical parts are serviceable. You think only the flunkees at the stealership are capable of changing brake rotors or an mass air flow sensor? Your car battery comment is equally dumb. Car batteries have a core charge, they pay YOU for the old one.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    1. Re:Modern car? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Other than programming the ECU all the mechanical parts are serviceable

      The only thing a person is capable of doing without detailed knowhow is to keep *some* of their fluids topped up. The remainder requires knowledge and tools. Accepting that you can change your head gasket despite the many steps, care, torque wrench requirement, etc but then claiming that the battery in a modern phone can't be serviced because you don't have a guitar pick, a hot water bottle and a $1 ebay pentalobe screwdriver is just you being dense. The iPhone battery even has a pull tab on the connector for easy swapping.

      Unless you're Michael J Fox, you can do this yourself.

      Car batteries have a core charge, they pay YOU for the old one.

      Not even remotely. They may pay YOU in YOUR area for them. For me it would be a 25min drive to the refuse station where they have a collection box.

  21. Power management and older iPhones by najajomo · · Score: 1

    I would like to personally thank Tim Cook for allowing me to control power management on my own phone. It saves me the bother of downloading and running Open Source software.

  22. Apple is amazing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple is making america great again.

  23. Completely missing the mark by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

    The power management features being quietly turned on/off is really missing the mark here. Even when relatively new, iPhone 6/6s tend to shut down randomly, presumably due to voltage, even if the battery is sufficiently charged. This is especially true in cold weather. The battery simply isn't sufficiently paired for the hardware. These devices need batteries that can handle a higher maximum load. Replacing the battery with a newer one of the same specification only solves half the problem.

  24. simpler solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    just let end users replace the battery when in gets old.

  25. User pressure may work by iampiti · · Score: 1

    What this shows is that user pressure works (sometimes at least). A relatively minor problem (IMO) turned huge and then was all over the media. It even got Apple, a company with a known attitude of "We know what's best for you" to add an option to disable the controversial feature.
    The sad part (IMO) is that this hasn't happened for some basic freedoms and features that one would've taken for granted of computers only a few years ago like being able to install software not approved by nanny Apple, or having administrator rights over a device you supposedly own.
    In an era in which software and hardware companies are adding more and more anti user features this proves that we can force them to change

  26. Not a story by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    You can already find reports of people with iPhones that do this... or other smartphones...
    You just need to look. Most people on Slashdot either get phones often enough or replace batteries in a few years, which means they would not encounter this. But there are a world of people with old phones and old batteries that have this happen - Apple was trying to help them and paid the usual price for good deeds.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
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