Do you still remember the 2018 Apple $29 battery replacement saga? If so, you may recall how Apple admitted it was ‘throttling back’ performance of its iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and SE models. The trigger was their batteries being ‘old, cold, or low on power’ according to Geek.Com. The logic was there, but the media spotted Apple’s corporate slip showing because it kept the policy a secret.
Howl of Protest Lead to the Apple $29 Battery Offer
Apple agreed to replace all aging iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and SE batteries for $29 each throughout the remainder of 2018. This gave thought as to what these batteries cost Apple, compared to the regular selling price of $79. But that’s another tale for another day.
Gee.,Com recommended replacing the batteries “even if not experiencing severe battery issues with your iPhone”. We suspect there was a small stampede late last year. On January 14, 2019 9TO5 Mac disclosed what the Apple $29 battery replacement program involved in terms of volume. Thus was just after throttling back its Q1 2019 earnings forecast which it blamed on China.
Tim Cook Finally Reveals 11 Million Batteries Were Replaced
Details were sketchy at the time of writing. Although 9TO5 Mac suggested it was a command performance with every Apple employee present. Apparently Tim Cook reported the Apple $29 battery replacement offer had 11 million takers. During a normal year it had been averaging 1 to 2 million replacements.
To put matters into context, Statista reported Apple sold 216 million iPhones in the 2017 fiscal year. Therefore this was not a complete train smash to the giant company. More like an irritating fruit fly to swat. Nonetheless, this is a timely reminder of the power of concerted consumer action.
John Gruver summed it up nicely on Daring Fireball. “A few million extra iPhone users [were]happy with the performance of their old iPhones with new batteries,” he explained. They would have otherwise upgraded to a new iPhone and this “put a ding” in the bottom line.
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Preview Image: Apples in Filoli Gardens
