$5 million lawsuit asks: Did iOS 9 cripple iPhone 4s devices?

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iPhone 4s
A lawsuit claims the battery of an iPhone 4s is responsible for a house fire.
Photo: Apple

Smart upgraders know that when a major new version of iOS drops, older devices might want to think twice about updating. That advice isn’t much comfort to people on the iPhone 4s, though, who pulled the trigger on iOS 9, and saw their devices slow down as a result. Now, a class-action lawsuit is targeting Apple on behalf of iPhone 4s owners, arguing that Cupertino essentially crippled their phones with the update.

The lawsuit has been filed by Chaim Lerman, who wants over $5 million in damages. He claims that upgrading to iOS 9 “significantly slowed down” iPhone 4s devices, forcing him and other to live with a “slow and buggy device” or else spend hundreds of dollars on the upgrade.

When iPhone 4s owners are faced with the dilemma of continuing to use a slow, buggy phone or spend hundreds to buy a new phone, Apple often benefits because consumers will often buy a new iPhone to keep their investment in the App ecosystem. […]

Furthermore, iPhone owners will buy a newer iPhone when faced with the choice because it is familiar and they can easily transfer their information, media, contacts, and apps without a major disruption in usage. There is no learning curve and no delays and trouble that accompany new information input. Thus Apple stands to benefit financially when older iPhones are slowed down and owners are forced to purchase a new phone.

Apple is often hit with such lawsuits, accusing Cupertino of software updates that make older devices functionally obsolete. It’s a hard choice: Apple can either stop updating older devices, fragmenting their OS, or keep older devices updated, and occasionally fall afoul of litigious customers who don’t realize there’s a trade-off for installing newer software on older devices.

What do you think? Should Apple stop supporting old devices earlier than it does?

Source: Scribd

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