Apple

Apple

Basic information
Founded	1976
Type	Public
Industry	Electronics
Official website	https://apple.com/

Apple is an American technology company that was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services.

Apple's current product lineup includes hardware such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV; operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, and macOS; and various software and services including Apple Pay, iCloud, and multimedia streaming services like Apple Music and Apple TV+.

Incidents

Repairability of Apple products in the 2000's

Since the 2000s, Apple has focused on reducing the weight of its products as technology has advanced and become increasingly complex. This shift has contributed to challenges in repairing and upgrading their devices. The introduction of the iPhone marked a significant milestone in the evolution of consumer electronic devices, leading to its widespread popularity.

Hardware design issues in the 2010's

Apple had numerous hardware design issues in the 2010's, often poorly acknowledged by the company and frequently charging exorbitant amounts for repair.

• High-cost GPU failures on early 2010's MacBooks
• the 2016-'17 MacBook Pro's screen cable skimping scandal
• 2016-2019 MacBooks butterfly keyboards
• the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro's SSD failures

Recent attempts to do better

Recently, Apple has made efforts to improve its products, though some observers feel that its pro-consumer practices still do not match those of certain other manufacturers. This shift is thought by some to be influenced by evolving legislation.

This includes:

• Opening an online Self Service Repair parts store.
• Making the back glass of iPhones removable starting from iPhone 14.
• Allowing alternative app stores in an update to iOS 17, in compliance with new EU legislation.
• Calibration tools for newly installed used parts in iOS 18, which sometimes work.
• An upgradeable, swappable SSD in the 2024 Mac Mini - albeit you cannot swap these units between M4 and M4 Pro units due to the internal casing's design being different without much good reason.
• A battery removable with just a 9V battery in the 2024 iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

Operating system downgrades

It is not possible to upgrade or downgrade an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. to an Operating System (OS) version other than the most recent. On Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the user can select from three modes of secure boot:

• No security: Allow any OS to run (same as turning off secure boot on a PC).
• Medium security: Allow any OS that is signed with a secure boot certificate (default, same as turning on secure boot on a PC).
• Full security: Only allow the latest version of macOS, do not allow any other OS.

iOS devices only support full security mode. The device checks for a cryptographic "ticket," which are tied to the OS version and CPU serial number. These are provided by a server, which only provides them for the latest version (with very specific exceptions). The device refuses to boot if the ticket does not match. Workarounds exist, but with major caveats that are not viable for most users, see the technical details on SHSH blobs.

Class action lawsuit

Apple was the defendant of a class-action lawsuit with claims dating back to 2017 where users noticed their phones were being artificially slowed down. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $500 million USD. Apple claimed that this change was to benefit users who have old failing batteries, and that it wasn't for planned obsolescence. They later published software updates and an article explaining how users can opt out of this new "performance management" mode.

Once a new OS version is installed, there is no opportunity to go back. This also restricts the user's choice to jailbreak the device, as the latest version naturally has patches for the latest jailbreak exploits. App developers also require access to earlier iOS versions to test that their app works correctly. The alternative, Xcode's iOS Simulator, is not a complete replacement for real hardware, as it does not have all features of a physical device. Instead, app developers are forced to purchase several test devices, and remember to never allow them to update.

Parts availability

Many parts are not available directly from Apple. Those that are available directly from Apple may be more expensive than paying Apple to repair your device. Parts available to certified repair centers are extremely limited. Apple does not stock current generation iPad parts within GSX (See Certified Repair Centers). A limited selection of iPad parts are available from iFixit, however this can exclude some flex PCBs necessary for repairing headphone jacks.

If an Apple iPhone has GPS calibration issues and or Bluetooth connectivity issues, Apple will do their own diagnostics. You explain to the Apple employee how and when the issues occur and you explain in detail your methods to reproduce the issues. The issues occur when your phone is in your pocket while using navigation and when you hold your phone upside down while using your Apple Beats wireless headphones. After Apple runs their diagnostics and they are not able to detect the issues, they will move onto the next step which is fully resetting your device. This is considered a standard troubleshooting procedure. When you ask the Apple store manager if they would be willing to exchange your device for a similar model if they cannot fix your device they respond with "No, because these phones are designed to be fixed". After the software reset fail, Apple will require you to leave your phone with them so they can send it to their offsite repair facility for further diagnostics. After a few days, Apple will come to the conclusion that your phone requires an entire new midsection. When asked what was replaced, Apple will inform you that the entire inside has been replaced — essentially giving you a new phone (with a new IMEI, EID, etc.) apart from the casing and screen.

Diagnostic software availability

Calibration software for some Apple devices has only recently become available to end users. End user calibration tools have only become accessible in iOS 18. Similar calibration tools have been available to Certified Repair Centers, but are generally limited as many parts are serialized, i.e. lid sensors on Mac Books.

Certified repair centers

Certified Repair Centers have some limited access to Apple's proprietary backend (GSX2). GSX contains many tools necessary to repair devices such as diagnostic tools, calibration tools, parts catalog, and device repair history. GSX is only accessible to repair centers Apple deems certified. GSX does not stock parts for iPads. It does not allow the calibration of parts such as lid sensors for a device, if that device does not have an open repair and purchased parts. The new iOS 18 calibration tool is very similar to Apple's ASU (GSX's diagnostic/calibration tool). Some videos of GSX can be found online. See: GSX - How to Gain GSX Apple Access - iOSGenius

Advertisements in first party apps

In 2014, Apple and the band U2 partnered to give all iTunes users a free digital copy of their newest album at the time, Songs of Innocence, which was marketed as "the biggest album release ever in history". Many users who didn't want the album couldn't remove it from their iTunes library due to the album being listed as a "past purchase" on their account (however the album could always be "hidden"). Some reports speculated the deal was worth 100 million dollars and was done due to the band's declining popularity. In 2022, Bono, a member of U2, wrote in his memoir how Tim Cook reportedly said how "there’s something not right about giving [U2's] art away for free" and "the whole point of what we’re trying to do at Apple is to not give away music free. The point is to make sure musicians get paid".

In 2025, Apple added a promotional offer for the F1 movie in their Wallet application. Users have mentioned how this could violate Apple's own policy on advertising, how the high price of Apple devices shouldn't justify first party ads, and the annoyance of seeing it. For users on the iOS 26 beta, there is an option to disable "Offers & Promotions", with users on iOS 18 needing to disable notifications completely for the Wallet app.

• 
  Notification of the offer
• 
  Home screen of Wallet app
• 
  Apple Cash card screen
• 
  Screen when selecting "learn more"

Products

• ICloud
• IPhones

Software

• Apple App Store
• Apple Gatekeeper
• Xcode

See also

Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.

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