In December, Apple apologized to it's customers for slowing down the performance of older iPhone models. Due to this, many customers began to pay for replacement batteries. Apple reduced the price of a battery from $79 to $29, however, now Apple is debating whether they should offer a rebate for all customers who purchased a full-priced new battery. Apple claims that the goal of the "slowdown" was to "smooth out peak demands and prevent older iPhones from sudden shutdowns as their batteries degrade." However, it just left customers angry and disappointed. Apple's Vice President of public policy, Cynthia Hogan stated that Apple's intentions are to give their customers the best products and experiences. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, was asked whether investors should be worried about battery replacements cutting into users wanting to pay for an upgrade. Cook responded that he never even thought about how it would effect the upgrade rates, rather trying to do the right thing for their customers.
I think that Apple is showing an effort in trying to apologize for their actions. They are doing their best to apologize and make it up to the public. The fact that Tim Cook wasn't even thinking about his future profits, makes his actions seem genuine. I commend Apple for admitting to their fault and trying to fix their mistakes. I think even though Apple was at fault, I think that people will continue to purchase their products regardless because it's "Apple."
Questions:
1. Do you think Apple should fully refund their customers?
2. What do you think of Tim Cook's reaction? Is it genuine?
3. How do you feel about Apple products after this incident?
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/06/technology/apple-iphone-rebate/index.html
9 comments:
It's definitely upsetting to think that Apple would purposefully put something in the software to slow down older version of the phones just to get people to buy the new phones, and even if you don't update your IOS software, the phone will eventually be useless because the apps on your phone will require you to download the latest IOS software. I don't think Cook's reaction is genuine. Obviously, he knew what his team was doing, and this was merely a strategy to get more people to want to buy their newest products. As upsetting as this is, I think most people still like Apple products, including myself. Apple products are just generally easier to use, and I've had a good experience after using it for so many years. Now that the public knows about this software glitch, it's unlikely that Apple will try to pull something off like this again.
I don't think it's necessary for Apple to fully refund their customers. Doing so would be an act to gain the public's trust, and while many are still angry or suspicious of Apple, it doesn't seem big enough to make them stop buying Apple products, as Megan said. Moreover, Apple doesn't need to spend so much money on refunds to keep their customers. I agree that Cook probably had underlying motives in slowing down older software, but I also think that his apology has truth in it. In the end, they want to keep their customers happy, and that requires an apology, even if it's not 100% genuine.
I think Apple should fully refund their customers. On many statistic readings I've encountered in the past, Apple was said to have enough funds to sustain itself for many centuries even if they were to offer their services for free. But more importantly, I don't believe it's reasonable to sabotage new products so that older ones are not left behind. Because of that alone, I believe Apple should refund their customers. I doubt Tim Cook's reaction was genuine as I don't believe sabotaging products is "doing the right thing for their customers", and rather a strategic move made to increase profits. I'm upset with Apple's decisions with their products that involve intentional sabotaging.
I was very frustrated with Apple when this story first came out because I had definitely noticed my phone battery deteriorating especially once the new update came out a couple months ago. I took advantage of the reduced price for the new battery and am now a lot happier with my phones battery life. I do think people that bought the battery for full price should be offered a rebate or a full refund because Apple is at fault for slowing down their older phones. However, from their standpoint, Apple products are so popular I doubt they lost many customers with this scandal so offering refund won't make a huge difference in the end. Tim Cook's response was probably genuine because he wants to protect the companies image but Apple already has such a good reputation I don't think it matters that much in the long run.
I do believe Apple should refund their customers all their money as it shows they are trying to use their monopoly. I feel like Tim Cook's reaction is one that is just trying to save face. He was aware, and now is just sorry that he got caught. I still like Apple products though.
I also believe that Apple should refund the customers because it's the right thing to do. But also like Haley said, there are many Apple users out there and this one incident isn't going to stop people from buying the latest version of the phone. Since Apple is such a huge company, Cook's apology in this situation was probably genuine enough to ensure the company's image wasn't affected.
While it sounds like a great and very kind gesture to refund ALL customers, it's simply unrealistic. Even if they were to go through with it, the procedure to receive a refund would be extremely lengthy and complex and probably not even worth it. While this was highly unjust from Apple's part, I think all they can do now is just apologize and never make the same mistake again. Cook's apology isn't very convincing to me, I just think he chose to do this with money as the motivator and for sales of the newest (most EXPENSIVE) iPhones to increase.
I think that it is just important for companies like apple to be transparent about their intentions and updates. The updates that slowed down older models of the phone made people angry not just because it slowed down their phone, but also because apple was not letting people know that this was happening. I do think it is somewhat low to slow down older without letting people know in order for people to buy the newer phones. Tim Cooks is trying to find a balance between selling as many apple products as he can, while making sure that apple users don't get angry.
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