Investigations against Apple and Samsung over accusations of planned obsolescence.
The Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, or AGCM, is seeking to determine whether the two popular smartphone companies are using software updates to slow down phones in order to convince customers to upgrade their phones. According to the group, Apple and Samsung may not offer adequate information to consumers as to the effects of software updates, and don’t offer details as to how placing them may slow down devices, which it says could break several articles of Italy’s customer protection code.
There’s no notice made to Apple’s recent admission that iOS software is deliberately slowing down phones with older batteries in order to keep a usable level of performance, but it’s hard to picture that the issue isn’t at least part of the purpose for the investigation. Apple is already facing an illegal probe over the battery slowdown issue in France, where designed obsolescence is illegal.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said this week that the next iOS update will allow iPhone users to disable the slowdown if they want, and provide more clear information as to the health of users’ batteries.
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