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.
The vehicles' cheerleaders, chief among them Tesla CEO Elon Musk, maintain that self-driving vehicles, while susceptible to accidents, are still safer than human drivers.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, December 26, 2019.
In 2009, going to Target or Walmart to buy the newest album was still the norm for most people. However, that trend would fade by the end of the decade. Now paying a monthly fee for a subscription music service that gives you access to the latest music is mainstream.
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will resign from the board next week, effectively severing ties with the ride-hailing company he co-founded a decade ago.
By next year you could be banking with Google or Uber, and instead of moving dollars around you could be thinking about new currencies issued by other governments — or Facebook. Here are five themes to watch in 2020.
Cheddar's Michelle Castillo looks ahead to see the trends that will dominate the world of streaming entertainment in the upcoming year.
A look back on the hits and misses from last year's crystal ball on business, tech, politics, and culture.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, December 23, 2019.
A look back on the decade.
Boeing's new Starliner capsule went off course after launch Friday and won't dock with the International Space Station during its first test flight.
