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Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

posted by janrinok on Thursday August 08 2019, @12:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the can't-stand-competition dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/apple-is-locking-batteries-to-iphones-now

By activating a dormant software lock on their newest iPhones, Apple is effectively announcing a drastic new policy: only Apple batteries can go in iPhones, and only they can install them.

If you replace the battery in the newest iPhones, a message indicating you need to service your battery appears in Settings > Battery, next to Battery Health. The "Service" message is normally an indication that the battery is degraded and needs to be replaced. The message still shows up when you put in a brand new battery, however. Here's the bigger problem: our lab tests confirmed that even when you swap in a genuine Apple battery, the phone will still display the "Service" message.

It's not a bug; it's a feature Apple wants. Unless an Apple Genius or an Apple Authorized Service Provider authenticates a battery to the phone, that phone will never show its battery health and always report a vague, ominous problem.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 08 2019, @04:46PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 08 2019, @04:46PM (#877542)

    Show me a laptop with the same quality and features as the MacBook Air and I'll gladly switch. I don't require OSX, Linux will do just fine but I've yet to find one that is as light weight, dead silent (despite the Air having a fan), has a full workday of battery life and then some, flawless suspend/resume, excellent wifi range/speed, etc... all at the $1300 price point. That's why I put up with their shit. As a bonus, I didn't contribute to Microsoft by purchasing a Windows license I'll never use. But hey, you sound like delightful fella with all the answers...

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  • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Thursday August 08 2019, @10:29PM

    by hendrikboom (1125) on Thursday August 08 2019, @10:29PM (#877655) Homepage Journal

    Purism Librem 13. 1.4 kg. $1399. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/librem-13-review/ [makeuseof.com] Close yo the price you mentioned. And focused on freedom and security.

    Macbook Air. 3 pounds. Price $999 or $1199. https://www.macworld.com/article/3200368/macbook-air-specs-release-faq-price-features-tips.html [macworld.com] Seems to be cheaper.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 09 2019, @04:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 09 2019, @04:45PM (#877965)

    here's the worlds most lovable laptop "^_^"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTS-MD2Gm6Y [youtube.com]
    beats the crap outtada apple cuteness!

    HDD can be replaced. same with RAM. Linux works!