Today consumer rights organization Euroconsumers shared a press release, which states that the organization is now coordinating three lawsuits against Apple over planned obsolescence.
The first two lawsuits were launched in December of 2020 by two Euroconsumer member organizations based in Belgium and Spain respectively. Now a third one is being filed by Italian consumer rights organization Altroconsumo.
In this latest lawsuit, Altroconsumo seeks compensation from Apple of at least €60 on average for iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus owners over the aforementioned planned obsolescence.
“When consumers buy Apple iPhones, they expect sustainable quality products. Unfortunately, that is not what happened with the iPhone 6 series. Not only were consumers defrauded, and did they have to face frustration and financial harm, from an environmental point of view it is also utterly irresponsible” said Els Bruggeman, Head of Policy and Enforcement at Euroconsumers. “This new lawsuit is the latest front in our fight against planned obsolescence in Europe. Our ask is simple: American consumers received compensation, European consumers want to be treated with the same fairness and respect.”
Euroconsumers, which is a gathering of five European consumer organizations, additionally notes in the press release that it’s also planning to launch class action against Apple in Portugal in the following weeks.
Apple has been under fire before for throttling its older iPhones’ CPUs over time, which makes the phones run slower, including in 2018 by the Canadian government. Back in 2017, Apple admitted that it’s slowing down iPhones with older batteries, in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns and to prolong battery life. With iOS 11.3 iPhones received a battery health monitor feature, which allows users to check the condition of their iPhone’s battery.
