Apple has reportedly agreed to pay $500 million to settle lawsuits for throttling older iPhones. The proposal, which grants up to $25 in settlement for affected iPhone owners, is awaiting approval.
Battery issue RSS
Apple has acknowledged an issue with the 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro and issued a fix to help users solve the shutdown problem with the entry-level laptop. The workaround requires some work.
Although Apple discounted the cost of iPhone battery replacements at the end of 2017, it overlooked customers who had previously serviced their handsets. The company is now addressing this situation.
Amazon, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, has issued a recall of a dozen models of its AmazonBasics power banks. Those with the units are advised to unplug them.
The battery packs in some models are a potential fire hazard. The batteries present in ceratin Celsius and Lifebook models can overheat and cause damage although there has only been one case so far.
Lenovo announced that it is recalling some models of its fifth-generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon, as they may have an unfastened screw that could damage the battery and cause a fire hazard.
Certain models of HP laptops and mobile workstations have been recalled because of batteries overheating and, in some cases, melting. HP is issuing new batteries to those heeding the recall.
Apple's decision to offer battery replacements at a discount for older phones experiencing slowdowns may incur a significant financial cost to the company, with possibly 16M iPhones sales lost.
After public outcry over Apple slowing down devices that have old batteries in them, the company has issued a statement apologizing for the issue, and will discount replacement batteries.
Some Galaxy Note8 devices seem to be not starting up after exhausting their charge and posts on Samsung's official forum over the last month have indicated that the company is offering replacements.
First-generation Apple Watch models experiencing issues with 'swollen' or 'expanded' batteries are now covered for repairs for three years, as Apple has expanded its service coverage period.
A law firm is currently investigating the possibility of bringing a class-action lawsuit against Google, on behalf of customers who purchased the Nexus 6P, due to two major flaws with the device.
Samsung is said to be refurbishing 2.5 million Note7 handsets with new bodywork and smaller batteries. The company is expected to begin selling them in emerging markets, such as India, from June.
HP is expanding a voluntary worldwide program for batteries that shipped with many ENVY, Pavilion, ProBook, and other laptops, due to their "potential to overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard".
Apple's quality control continues to come under the spotlight, as some owners of its new $159 AirPods are reporting that the charging case for the earbuds is draining its battery at an alarming rate.
Apple has announced a worldwide program to provide free battery replacements for "a very small number of iPhone 6s devices" that have been affected by "unexpected shutdown issues".
Microsoft initially refused to acknowledge any issue with the LGC batteries on its Surface Pro 3, forcing some owners to pay $450 for out-of-warranty replacements - but they've since been refunded.
Microsoft has released new firmware which it says resolves a serious battery issue that prevented some Surface Pro 3 tablets from retaining their charge, and recommends that all SP3 owners install it.
Some Galaxy Note7 owners whose devices were replaced under the recall program are reporting that the new handsets are overheating, and that their batteries are losing power even while being charged.
Microsoft acknowledged the latest issue with Surface Pro 3 batteries today, saying that the team is working on a fix, and confirming that the issue was not caused by the latest firmware update.
After Microsoft resolved an issue with Simplo batteries on its Surface Pro 3 last month, users are now reporting problems with LGC batteries, with some unable to use the device unless it's plugged in.
A growing number of Surface Pro 3 users are reporting drastic battery life declines in their devices, rendering the tablets unusable. Microsoft hasn't addressed the issue publicly yet.