All things considered, Apple was having a pretty good year for the majority of 2017. It launched a new iPad at the beginning of the year, launched iOS 11 without any major issues, and welcomed the iPhone X into the fold. The company earned plenty of flak for the notch on their newest flagship smartphone, sure, but it weathered that storm and apparently everyone is okay with it now.
But then things started to snowball.
It started with an issue in iOS, which saw autocorrect doing some crazy things when someone would type in the letter "I". And then there was another autocorrect issue, where those who typed in "it" would see their word changed to "IT." There were other issues, too, including a major security flaw with HomeKit devices. Apple was so pressed to get fixes out that it ultimately released iOS 11.2 on a Saturday, a big change from routine.
And then there was macOS's big security flaw, where it was discovered that someone could gain administrator access to a Mac without actually needing to input a password. That was a big one, to say the least, and while Apple was quick to patch it, the security flaw never should have existed in the first place.
So then we get to December and here we are with Apple managing to prove conspiracy theorists right, years later. Apple has already admitted (and apologized, kind of) that it implemented a feature in its iPhones last year that will throttle the processor in the device based on battery degradation. So as the battery life decreases, the iPhone will try to avoid random shutdowns and overtaxing the processor by throttling performance.
(Apple is also getting backlash for its flagship retail store in Chicago, Illinois, because it's all downhill for the company before the end of 2017.)
I don't want to pile on here, but I am going to say that I can understand where Apple is coming from -- at least based on what they've said up to this point. They aren't trying to force obsolescence so customers upgrade sooner -- they're actually trying to make it so people can use their iPhones longer.
But if someone is angry about this situation, and, honestly, if they don't want to believe Apple's stance on this because of the way they handled it, I don't think that's too crazy. You basically have to choose whether or not this is something to be mad at Apple for, and either way you land is the right spot.
As my fellow editor put it, saving the battery by throttling performance isn't necessarily a bad thing -- but Apple needed to be open and honest about it. Right now they're backpedaling and forced to make changes to the way they handle battery replacements. They're even adding battery information into iOS (after they took out at-a-glance battery information on Macs, which is funny). They've had to make these drastic changes because they got caught, and because they chose not to communicate with its customer base.
So, I'm curious. If you are an iPhone owner, how do you feel about Apple right now? Are you mad, and considering switching? Or is this just another thing you'll ignore because it ultimately didn't bother you, or affect you? If you aren't an iPhone owner, are you happy your chosen company (probably) doesn't slow down your phone as the battery degrades? Let me know!
iPhone owners, are you happy with Apple right now? originally posted at http://phonedog.com
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