Apple has started to disburse funds in an ongoing class action lawsuit in the US, where it was alleged that the company intentionally slowed down certain iPhone models.
Individuals involved in the lawsuit will receive a portion of the $500 million settlement, amounting to approximately $92 per claim.
While Apple agreed to this settlement in 2020, denying any misconduct, it cited concerns over the expenses of prolonged litigation. Concurrently, a similar lawsuit in the UK is demanding £1.6 billion in damages.
This US lawsuit originated in December 2017 after the company admitted to deliberately reducing the performance of older iPhones. Apple claimed this action was to prolong the devices’ lifespan as batteries degraded.
However, the company faced criticism for not informing customers about this practice, which led to a reduced-cost battery replacement program as a remedy.
Initially, it was anticipated that each claimant in the US might receive only $25, but the final payout is nearly four times higher. In contrast, Apple’s attempt to dismiss a comparable lawsuit in the UK was unsuccessful last November.
Despite settling in the US, Apple maintains that the lawsuit is without merit, insisting it would never deliberately diminish the performance or lifespan of its products to encourage upgrades.
Commenting on the US settlement, Gutmann expressed satisfaction but noted it has no direct impact on the UK case, where Apple has not made any admissions.
He stated that the settlement in the US is a moral victory, but his focus remains on advancing the UK lawsuit, which is vigorously contested by Apple. The case is set to be reviewed by the Court of Appeal in the UK, with hopes for a trial between late 2024 and early 2025.
