Apple outed for intentionally slowing phones

wnjj wrote:
... Apple is likely the only company admitting to doing this...or they are simply too close to the limits even with a good battery.

Hard to actually say Apple is admitting to it since they didn't own up to it until they were actually caught at it.

Ductape wrote:
Not the same thing at all. When my old Samsung began to need charging before a full day's use I knew it was time to buy a battery. They didn't surreptitiously slow the processor to conceal evidence of battery degradation.

Apple could have just as easily popped up a dialog and asked the user to select full power with more frequent charging vs. reduced power with infrequent charging.

According to Apple, it isn't a matter of reduced battery life. It's about not crashing the phone when the aged battery can't provide the peak current. A crashing phone that needs restarted is a far more unpleasant experience than a slow phone. Apple is likely the only company admitting to doing this...or they are simply too close to the limits even with a good battery.

Bob Shaw wrote:
All I know is that my iphone7s worked pretty well until I updated to ios 11. Now it is virtually unusable, and eats the battery much faster than it did before the update. Sometimes it will actually feel very warm when I wasn't even using it. I guess it's time to go to Android.

Sounds like my old Galaxy S4, when it was less than 2 years old. Got hot all of the time. I have an S7 now but we also have iPhones and iPads in the house.

Both ecosystems are great and both suck...for different reasons.

Someone stated earlier that Android phones seldom receive OS updates. That has not been true in my experience. I am on Verizon, with a Note 4, which was released in Oct of 2014. I still get regular OS updates.

All I know is that my iphone7s worked pretty well until I updated to ios 11. Now it is virtually unusable, and eats the battery much faster than it did before the update. Sometimes it will actually feel very warm when I wasn't even using it. I guess it's time to go to Android.

Not the same thing at all. When my old Samsung began to need charging before a full day's use I knew it was time to buy a battery. They didn't surreptitiously slow the processor to conceal evidence of battery degradation.

Apple could have just as easily popped up a dialog and asked the user to select full power with more frequent charging vs. reduced power with infrequent charging.

What is interesting as well, both android and IPhone are Linux based.

This really does say it all! The situation is no different than updating an older PC with the newest OS, be it MAC or Windows. Older hardware struggles more with every new OS release. Same with smartphones.

Android phones rarely receive the newest OS updates. At least iOS updates are available to most everyone, except for the very oldest devices. If there are performance concessions to allow everything to work, is that the end of the world? It's not like they force you to update.

That said, disclosure of the strategy would have been the better option for APPLE.

camperforlife wrote:
Older android users complain they don't get the latest updates and have to buy new phones to get the latest software. Apple users complain that they get the latest software and sometimes it slows down the phones.

Bottom line is if you want the latest greatest at the current speed you have to buy new hardware. Nothing new about the way either platform updates, it's always been that way. Today's consumer wants the latest greatest-for free. It really is a non story.

Older android users complain they don't get the latest updates and have to buy new phones to get the latest software. Apple users complain that they get the latest software and sometimes it slows down the phones.

Bottom line is if you want the latest greatest at the current speed you have to buy new hardware. Nothing new about the way either platform updates, it's always been that way. Today's consumer wants the latest greatest-for free. It really is a non story.

The roll out of 5G is not that far away, but definitely within the lifespan of any new phone. The last time I checked, the only current phone 5G enabled is the Samsung S8. T Mobile did pick up some low band frequency, they mentioned that to me too, but I didn't bite on that either. I took my Verizon S7 over to T mobile and have no regrets at all. This whole issue makes me wonder if their doing it with their laptops too. On my desktop, I just removed the Windows 10 creators update off it cause it was slowing the machine. I keep the security portions of it but ditch all the fluff.