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BUSINESSWednesday 27 December 2017
Suit: Apple slowed iPhones, forcing owners to buy new ones
By MICHAEL TARM In this March 9, 2015 file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook talks about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus induce consumers to pur-
AP Legal Affairs Writer chase the latest” iPhone.
CHICAGO (AP) — IPhone during an Apple event in San Francisco. Plaintiff Kirk Pedelty, of
owners from several states North Carolina, contact-
sued Apple Inc. for not dis- Associated Press ed Apple as his frustration
closing sooner that it issued grew. However, the law-
software updates deliber- some phones. Apple said prolonging the life of their The Chicago lawsuit sug- suit says: “Nobody from
ately slowing older-model Apple customer support
phones so aging batter- it was intended as a fix to devices,” an Apple state- gests Apple’s motive may suggested that he replace
ies lasted longer, saying his battery to improve the
Apple’s silence led them deal with degraded lithi- ment said. It said it released have been sinister, though performance of his iPhone.
to wrongly conclude that ... Frustrated by slowdowns
their only option was to buy um-ion batteries that could the fix for iPhone 6, iPhone it offers no evidence in the and intermittent shutdowns
newer, pricier iPhones. of his iPhone 7, Pedelty pur-
The allegations were in a otherwise suddenly die. 6s and iPhone SE and later filing. chased an iPhone 8.”
lawsuit filed Thursday in The lawsuit seeks class-
Chicago federal court on “Our goal is to deliver the extended it to iPhone 7. “Apple’s decision to pur- action status to represent
behalf of five iPhone own- thousands of iPhone own-
ers from Illinois, Ohio, Indi- best experience for cus- Apple didn’t respond to posefully ... throttle down ers nationwide.
ana and North Carolina, Creative Strategies analyst
all of whom say they never tomers, which includes a message Friday seeking these devices,” it says, “was Carolina Milanesi said she
would have bought new believes the tech giant was
iPhones had Apple told overall performance and comment. undertaken to fraudulently seeking to help consum-
them that simply replacing ers extend the lives of the
the batteries would have older phones — though it
sped up their old ones. The would have been better to
suit alleges Apple violated disclose what it was doing
consumer fraud laws. and why right away.
A similar lawsuit was filed “Even if you are trying to
Thursday in Los Angeles. do something good for
Both suits came a day af- your customers, it is going
ter Apple confirmed what to be perceived as you are
high-tech sleuths outside sneaking around behind
the company already ob- their backs if you don’t
served: The company had tell them about it first,” she
deployed software to slow said.q
Edward Snowden unveils phone Amazon acquires
app, Haven, to spy on spies connected camera
maker
NEW YORK (AP) — The at risk and it uses an An-
former National Security droid phone’s sensors to BOSTON (AP) — Amazon of Google parent compa-
Agency contractor who detect changes in a room. has bought an Andover, ny Alphabet.
exposed U.S. government The software was devel- Massachusetts-based Amazon unveiled its
surveillance programs by oped with the Freedom of company that makes inter- own Cloud Cam security
disclosing classified mate- Press Foundation and the net-connected doorbells camera in the fall. It also
rial in 2013 has a new job: Guardian Project. It has and security cameras. launched a new Amazon
app developer. been greeted with mixed Blink announced on its Key service for people in
Edward Snowden in a social media reactions, website Friday it was be- some U.S. cities to allow a
video message Friday un- with some people cele- ing acquired by the Seattle door to be unlocked when
veiled a new phone app brating its security capabili- e-commerce giant. Terms they’re not home so pack-
he helped create, called ties and others saying they of the deal haven’t been ages can be left inside.
Haven, that aims to pro- don’t trust Snowden. disclosed. The move could Blink tells customers “noth-
tect laptops from physical Snowden has lived in Rus- help Amazon compete ing changes for now” as
tampering. Snowden says sia since 2013, when the in the fast-growing home it continues to sell its own
it’s an open-source tool country gave him asylum, security camera market recently launched prod-
designed for human rights resisting U.S. pressure to ex- and against similar devices ucts under the Amazon
activists and other people tradite him.q made by Nest, a subsidiary umbrella.q
