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Now, I do not know if this is a real news or if it is a fake one:
Apple apparently slowed down intentionally the old iPhone models with new software releases to push people into buying new ones.
The news has appeared on several on line magazines and some users are starting to sue Apple for degrading their iPhone in what is seen as an intentional damage to property.
In a statement Apple said “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.”
Hence they are claiming the reduction in battery power usage (that leads to a lower iPhone performance) is not to press people to change their “slow” phone but rather to prolong its life. You may believe it or not. However this is not the point for me (I do not want to take side here -at least publicly…).
The reason I was attracted by this news relates to Industry 4.0 and its unexpected side effect.
In Industry 4.0 we buy a product that is a mix of software and hardware and that product is likely to be open so that you can evolve it over time, updating its software, plugging in software from third parties, having it interacting with new products to piggy back on their more advanced features and so on.
The problem is: how can you be sure that new updates are not degrading your product, particularly when those upgrades are coming from a trusted party, like the original product vendor? I would have never expected a situation where the original vendor would degrade my product to push me to get a new version? And what about a vendor messing with my product operation once it discovers that I am using functionalities provided by a third party? Notice that already today several companies warn you that including foreign software in a product would void their warranty. However, in an industry 4.0 you have a product that by design is open to third party (in principle) and you would not be expecting the original producer to cast its dark shadow on you…
These are indeed new twists that were not possible before and that are now concerning me, and you too probably.
