On March 1, Apple will start charging an extra $20 for battery replacements on out-of-warranty iPhones, according to an update on the AppleCare+ webpage.
The new price will be $99 for the iPhone 14, and while these models are currently under warranty, they won't be after the one-year anniversary of their release in September 2023.
At that point, the higher price point could encourage customers with broken batteries to simply buy a new phone rather than shell out nearly $100 for a replacement part.
Apple has adjusted prices multiple times in recent years, as supply chain issues have raised production costs. Just last month, labor unrest at an iPhone supplier in China led to a production shortfall. The company struggled with similar disruptions throughout the pandemic.
There is also a history of consumers pushing back against Apple's practices around batteries. The company in 2020 was forced to pay $113 million in fines to settle consumer fraud lawsuits around a controversy known as "batterygate," in which iPhone users discovered that Apple installed new software that made devices with older batteries operate slower.
In addition, CEO Tim Cook in 2019 wrote in a letter to investors that "some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements" was partly behind a lower-than-expected iPhone sales.
Nokia says it has been tapped by NASA to build the first cellular communications network on the moon.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Solar tracking company, Array Technologies, has made its trading debut. Jim Fusaro, Array Technologies CEO, joined Cheddar to discuss the discuss why it was time to take the company public.
On the heels of the latest Apple Event, Verizon launches nationwide 5G service. Ronan Dunne, Verizon Consumer Group CEO, joined Cheddar to discuss the launch and offerings that customers can expect from the service.
Online used car dealer, Shift, is set to go public through a SPAC. George Arison, Shift co-CEO, joined Cheddar to discuss its future and the unforeseen rise of car purchases amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Apple unveiled four new iPhones equipped with technology for use with faster new 5G wireless networks.
Disney is reorganizing its business units to focus even more on streaming. Its Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus services have more than 100 million subscribers.
Facebook says it is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust and will start directing people to authoritative sources if they search for information about the Nazi genocide.
U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) joined Cheddar to discuss how Congress and the judiciary should approach big tech monopolies. Buck was clear that the Democrats and Republicans, however, disagree on just how to go about shrinking the tech giants.
Brian Elliott, Slack VP and head of Future Forum, joined Cheddar to discuss the findings of a survey that finds people adapting to remote work amid the pandemic and probably beyond.
