iFixit has now matched Apple’s $29 price for battery replacement kits for older iPhones.
The change follows up on Apple’s consolation for its iPhone slowdown policies. Apple itself got in trouble when it fessed up to slowing down iPhones with older batteries and apologized for not being more transparent.
“About a year ago in iOS 10.2.1, we delivered a software update that improves power management during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE,” the company wrote in a rare open letter apology. “While these changes may go unnoticed, in some cases users may experience longer launch times for apps and other reductions in performance.”
iFixit, which noted that there’s been roughly a 300% increase in battery replacements since the controversy surfaced, praised Apple’s price reduction and offered the following comment:
“True, using iFixit’s method isn’t any cheaper, but if you’re a bit braver and have a steady hand, it means not having to wait in line at the Genius Bar and deal with whatever turnaround time might be involved. The deal is probably more appealing, however, for those with older phones. iFixit has batteries for models note covered by the aforementioned deal, many of which are even cheaper.”
Apple’s competition has also stepped forward to say that they aren’t slowing down older model phones the way Apple has. Samsung, HTC, Motorola and LG have all issued statements to that effect.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via TechCrunch and iFixit