Apple Apologises

Facing lawsuits and consumer outrage after it said it slowed older iPhones with flagging batteries, Apple is slashing prices for battery replacements and will change its software to show users whether their phone battery is good.
In a posting on its website Thursday, Apple apologised over its handling of the battery issue and said it would make a number of changes for customers "to recognise their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple's intentions."
Apple made the move to address concerns about the quality and durability of its products at a time when it is charging $999 (roughly Rs. 64,000) for its newest flagship model, the iPhone X.
The company said it would cut the price of an out-of-warranty battery replacement from $79 (roughly Rs. 5,000) to $29 (roughly Rs. 1,850) for an iPhone 6 or later, starting next month. The company also will update its iOS operating system to let users see whether their battery is in poor health and is affecting the phone's performance.
"We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down," Apple said in its posting. "We apologise."
On December 20, Apple acknowledged that iPhone software has the effect of slowing down some phones with battery problems. Apple said the problem was that aging lithium batteries delivered power unevenly, which could cause iPhones to shutdown unexpectedly to protect the delicate circuits inside.
That disclosure played on a common belief among consumers that Apple purposely slows down older phones to encourage customers to buy newer iPhone models. While no credible evidence has ever emerged that Apple engaged in such conduct, the battery disclosure struck a nerve on social media and elsewhere.
Apple on Thursday denied that it has ever done anything to intentionally shorten the life of a product.
At least eight lawsuits have been filed in California, New York, and Illinois alleging that the company defrauded users by slowing devices down without warning them. The company also faces a legal complaint in France, where so-called "planned obsolesce" is against the law.

Apple is following Microsoft's steps

Apple to Combine macOS and iOS App Stores for a Unified Experience

 

With the launch of iPhone 3G, Apple introduced a feature which in future would change the way users interact with their devices. That feature was called the App Store and we are all now witness to the revolution which it started. Using apps has become a second nature to us now. I barely use the browser on my smartphone, as most of the services that I use offer solid apps, which are far better than what mobile websites could ever be. However, the same things cannot be said about the Apple’s desktop devices.

  

While Mac App Store offers a respectable number of Apps, it comes nowhere close to the quality and the quantity of apps present on the iOS App Store. Another area where the Mac App Store falters is when it come to updates. While iOS Apps receive constant updates, the apps on Mac App Store are rarely updated and hence are not up to the mark.

 

Well, all that might change pretty soon as a report from Bloomberg claims that Apple will be allowing developers to create universal apps for both iOS and macOS devices. What that means is that now developers won’t have to create separate apps for Macs and iPhones as both of these platforms will be able to support the same apps. This will be a huge development as once this update is pushed by Apple, both the iOS and Mac apps will receive updates at the same time.

We have already seen the same technology being developed by both Microsoft and Google in the past. And while Microsoft’s mobile division is now dead and Google’s ChromeOS had a rocky start, if there is one company which can pull this through, it’s Apple. Being a Mac user, I am highly excited by the prospect of getting universal apps. That said, we don’t know when or if this project will come to fruition. We have our finger-crossed and are hoping for the best. Do share your thoughts on the subject with us by dropping them down in the comments section below.