There are people all across the country, maybe even including yourself, that take part in casual banter of which type of phone they prefer to use: Apple vs. Android. Sure, there are little differences in each while comparing and contrasting.
Apple is more popular and it would be easier to communicate through the device if one buys an Apple phone, such as through FaceTime or iMessage. There’s also an unsaid amount of prestige that comes with such a purchase; little children often dream of unwrapping an iPhone for Christmas or a birthday and finally having so much more access to the digital world. Apple phones are also, to some, much easier to navigate than an Android phone because there are less complicated features and less functions to customize.
However, this doesn’t leave Android phones out in the dark. Some Android phones are proven to be waterproof and have a lot of durability. The glass on the front takes more than one drop to break, even without a fifty dollar case on it.
The battery life is often much longer and on most Androids, while it can be more complex and take more digging, there’s often more ways to personalize your phone. Also, Android doesn’t have a lawsuit filed against them about purposefully slowing down older phones to get more people to buy newer models of the hip, in-style phones.
As it stands, Apple is currently being sued because they admittedly have released software updates that cause older models of the iPhone to be slower. For example, say I own an iPhone 4, and while I am operating this phone, a newer iPhone called the iPhone X comes out. With the drop of the iPhone X, there will be updates to enhance the experience of this new, almighty phone. In theory, it should be applied to my iPhone 4 and not really affect it much because it’s not an iPhone X.
However, what is actually happening is because the iPhone X is out and all my friends have it and I am jealous so I must buy it, my iPhone 4 will gradually operate at a slower rate than before. Not because it doesn’t work, but because Apple released software which affects the phone and tells it to stop processing quickly. While I stare at my friends in a jealous fit and awe-struck stance, this iPhone 4 that is perfectly fine will continue to slow down and will convince me that this phone is trash and I need a new one.
If found guilty, this is quite the blow for Apple. Actually, it’s quite the blow for any company, despite our capitalist economy that can sometimes exploit people for the good of a profit. While the company has apologized and admitted to slowing down the phones, there are multiple lawsuits still at play because it is a legal matter in terms of contract.
This could really shake up the cell phone market, as it could create distrust in a company with expensive merchandise that requires monthly plans to pay for smart phones with. As there have already been cases in the past, cases that Apple lost, there has to be a breaking point for consumers. There will eventually be a time in which slowing down older versions of phones to “stop them from shutting down altogether with aging batteries” may be seen in more of a personal manner and the company will see a steeper decline.
Sure, this can be helpful, as it makes sure that someone's phone doesn't completely shut off. However, if people don’t realize that their phones are slowing down for this reason and those people try to figure out what is wrong with it and conclude that it’s just old, that’s hundreds of wasted dollars thrown towards a phone in exchange for one that was just slower.
There has also been zero implications that the phones will not continue to slow anymore, even with the rise of lawsuits hitting the company. Discounts for different batteries may be able to be distract a public eye for a while, but there will be a boiling point if this cycle or claims continues. If the problem doesn’t get fixed, this battle will not end and customers will eventually turn to another phone. Good news for Android, I suppose, but a huge L for ethics within Apple as it drives away business.
Whether you personally choose to stay with Apple or Android, just be careful and be aware of what exactly a phone manufacturing company can and cannot do to your phone. With a free market at play, there is much more variety, but also much more room for shenanigans such as this to happen.
