A South Korean court remanded a lawsuit alleging that Apple deliberately slowed the performance of older iPhones in order to entice customers to purchase new models on Thursday.
'The complaint has been dismissed,' a court judge said in an engrossing tone, dismissing the complaint filed by some 9,800 Korean smartphone purchasers who sought 2 billion won ($1.64 million) against Apple.
Apple enticed iPhone users to buy a software upgrade that slowed performance, causing users to replace their devices with brand-new ones, five years after a civil lawsuit brought by 64,000 plaintiffs.
Apple introduced power management features for older iPhones that would help avoid unexpected shutdowns during periods of peak power usage on devices with depleted batteries. The features slow the processor on older iPhones with less than optimal batteries, reducing their performance.
Apple hampered in announcing power management options, neglecting to make a splash until late 2017, making many iPhone users to feel deceived by the company.
Apple released a battery replacement program that enabled iPhone 6, 6s, 7, 6 Plus, 6 Plus, and SE customers to replace their batteries for a reduced charge until the end of 2018.
