Apple Replaced 11 Million iPhone Batteries in Its $29 Program (cnet.com)

Apple's $29 battery replacement program may have seriously dinged sales of its 2018 iPhone models. From a report: The company replaced 11 million iPhone batteries under the program, John Gruber of tech-focused blog DaringFireball reported Monday, citing Apple CEO Tim Cook at an all-hands meeting. Typically, the company replaces 1 million to 2 million batteries each year, DaringFireball noted. Cook cited the program's negative impact on Apple's revenue in a Jan. 2 sales warning to investors but didn't offer specific numbers.

Comments

Good

[sexconker]

Batteries should always be replaceable (ideally, by the end user).

Re:Good

[ShanghaiBill]

If that is true, why aren't people buying phones with user replaceable batteries?

Because replaceable batteries have negative implications for thinness.

Apple is giving people what they want. If it is not what YOU want, then buy something else. There are plenty of phones with replaceable batteries.

Re:Good

[dgatwood]

This. Asking why people don't buy cell phones with removable batteries is like asking why iPhone users aren't buying phones with a headphone jack. The answer, of course, is that Apple no longer sells one.

To truly measure whether users care about a feature, you would have to have two nearly identical models whose only differences are that feature and any unavoidable side effects thereof. For example, you might have a model that has a removable battery at a slightly higher price and with a slightly thicker case. Without a proper control, you're comparing apples and oranges.

Re: Cheaper than the alternative

[dnaumov]

A standard battery management procedure used by almost everybody when implemented by Apple suddenly becomes a new item because REASONS

Interesting item not considered -future sales bump

[SuperKendall]

The much larger than normal number of batteries sold, seemed to have led somewhat to a decline in new purchases that led to Apple's earnings warning.

That sent the stock down. But what I do not see anyone mulling over, are implications for the future... given the high degree of measured customer satisfaction from iPhone owners (90% +), this simply means that future sales have been deferred - not lost.

So at some point in the future, probably 1-2 years hence, there's going to be a bump in sales from all these people who got new batteries as they finally do upgrade...

Now an alternative to this scenario is: What if this gets more people accustomed to buying batteries to extend the life of phones? Even then it would just mean a longer delay, but it could lead to a deeper change in consumer behavior and generally longer ownership cycles, long term.