Remember: In 2017, Apple faced an event that remains one of the biggest scandals in its history. After accusations from Geekbench founder John Poole, the Cupertino company admits it has implemented planned obsolescence on its iPhones. Of course, this was justified by emphasizing the interest of users, namely the preservation of autonomy here. However, this statement did not convince the authorities: France imposed a fine of 25 million euros on the brand, while Italy demanded a fine of 60 million euros.
Things have calmed down a bit since then, but the suspicions towards Apple have never really gone away. Today these are featured once again, this time by the Halte à l’obsolescence programmed association (HOP). The organization accuses the manufacturer of “serialization” in a supporting document of nearly sixty pages. If you have perhaps never heard of this app, it still has a lasting impact on the use of our devices over time. Descriptions.
What is serialization that Apple is accused of?
In a press release released Wednesday, December 7, HOP describes serialization as: “It consists of associating the serial numbers of a product’s components and peripherals with the serial numbers of the iPhone, specifically through microchips”. In other words, Apple keeps track of all the components of its iPhones and this lets it know when one of them is replaced. “This app affects the most frequently broken parts (screen, battery, camera, etc.) lately”specifies the association.
Of course, this is Apple’s unmistakable way of knowing whether user-selected spares, or if not, repairers’ own list of authorized components. If this is not the case, the iPhone becomes unusable, as was the case with the HOP report, which noted numerous testimonies that the smartphone no longer works after repair. And this is even if the latter chose the parts “same and original”.
That’s not all. HOP also argues that this app allows Apple to restrict updates to older iPhones. The association cites the iPhone XR as an example, which cannot support iOS 16 for some users. The latest version of the operating system does indeed trigger touchscreen related issues and the manufacturer prefers to explain this out of compatibility concerns with an unapproved part. The problem goes away when the iPhone XR returns to iOS 15.
Apple accused of planned obsolescence right after Self-Repair launch
“These failures, which are observed over and over again without informing the consumer or repairer and without offering a solution, are not simple “mistakes”: they are intended to put independent repair or replacement at a disadvantage, to benefit the sale of new smartphones or captive repair prices that are often deterrent to the consumer.blames HOP. The timing is particularly ironic. Just yesterday, Apple launched its Self-Service Repair service in France.
The program, which gives users access to an extensive catalog of spare parts so they can repair their devices themselves, was announced as a standard by Apple to demonstrate its desire to offer more durable products. Obviously, provided that it does not exceed a certain expiration date, which is unknown at the time of purchase. So let’s hope they don’t run into the problems mentioned above with the parts the manufacturer sells.
