Apple Faces Manufactured Obsolescence Lawsuit

Some unsatisfied customers have hit Apple with what is likely a largely unwanted late Christmas “gift.”

The world’s most successful tech firm is facing a $5 million class-action lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages for deceptive trade practices and false advertising.

Why?

Plaintiffs claim that Apple’s upgrade to iOS 9 essentially rendered their iPhone 4’s useless and unworkable. The suit alleges that post-upgrade phones were either “slow and buggy” and thus forced customers to choose between a functioning product, or pay hundreds more for a phone that worked.

Moreover, the suit notes, Apple did not warn iPhone 4 users that the update ran a risk of bricking their phone – or at least making it much, much less useful for day-to-day use. In fact, they note, Apple’s advertising for iOS9 indicated that the upgrade would allow phones “faster performance, improved security, convenient updates and longer battery life.”

This is not the first suit of this sort Apple has faced; in 2011, Apple faced a complaint regarding the iPhone 3G and iOS 4. At the time, the case was dismissed, as the judge ruled that an OS update did not qualify as a good or service.