Thune Statement on Apple iPhone 6 Battery Replacement Credit
May 23, 2018
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement on today’s announcement by Apple to offer a $50 credit to customers who purchased an
“Apple’s announcement of a $50 credit for 2017 battery replacements effectively addresses an issue I raised after the company acknowledged it had taken steps to slow the processing performance of the iPhone 6. Full transparency about actions that could degrade the performance of a purchase is especially critical when it involves changes to complicated technology that might not be readily apparent to consumers.”
On January 9, 2018, Sen. Thune wrote Apple CEO Tim Cook asking a series of questions about revelations of a software update which slowed the processing performance of some phones with older batteries, including whether consumers who had paid for a full-price replacement battery in an effort to restore performance should receive a rebate. On February 2, 2018, Apple responded to Sen. Thune’s letter noting that it was exploring potential rebates for customers who had purchased battery replacements before it announced a discounted battery replacement offer.
“Apple’s announcement of a $50 credit for 2017 battery replacements effectively addresses an issue I raised after the company acknowledged it had taken steps to slow the processing performance of the iPhone 6. Full transparency about actions that could degrade the performance of a purchase is especially critical when it involves changes to complicated technology that might not be readily apparent to consumers.”
On January 9, 2018, Sen. Thune wrote Apple CEO Tim Cook asking a series of questions about revelations of a software update which slowed the processing performance of some phones with older batteries, including whether consumers who had paid for a full-price replacement battery in an effort to restore performance should receive a rebate. On February 2, 2018, Apple responded to Sen. Thune’s letter noting that it was exploring potential rebates for customers who had purchased battery replacements before it announced a discounted battery replacement offer.
