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.
This company will give you a tail.
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.
All Star Code partners with companies like Google to teach boys and young men of color how to code. Christina Lewis, Founder and CEO of All Star Code, and Gary Coltrane, an alumnus of All Star Code, join Cheddar to discuss how teaching coding can open up someone's path to success.
The Redmond-based tech giant is taking on the Internet of Things, but Microsoft Azure IoT is focusing specifically on the enterprise space for corporate clients.
The smart location company that manufacturers a Bluetooth tracker to incorporate with your precious objects recently raised $45 million in funding.
Apple released its third quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell, slightly beating expectations despite slowing iPhone sales.
Shark Week is back for its 31st year and fans can bite into a new lineup of shows featuring some of the ocean's fiercest predators.
Green Dot, the inventor of prepaid debit cards and the invisible banking platform behind fintech startups and brands like Uber and Apple Pay, is becoming a direct-to-consumer brand with the launch of (yet another) high-yield savings account and a cash-back checking account.
With Project xCloud, Microsoft throws its hat in the ring against the upcoming Google Stadia and the already-existing PlayStation Now service, allowing games to stream from hardware located in the cloud network.
Chicago-based cannabis company Cresco Labs unveiled a new dispensary and retail cannabis shop concept on Monday. Called Sunnyside, the concept emphasizes health and wellness and aims to create an accessible, immersive retail environment that pushes Cresco along on its mission of creating a nationally-recognizable cannabis brand.
