Apple replaced 11 million batteries in 2018 – report

MANILA, Philippines – In 2018, Apple offered discounted replacements for iPhone batteries in response to the controversy that the company purposely throttled battery life and performance of older iPhones models. This was a move that would later appear to hurt the company’s sales.

In an all-hands meeting last January 3, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed over 11 million iPhone batteries were replaced in 2018 when battery replacements cost $29 rather than the normal $79.

According to Daring Fireball, this was 10 to 11 times higher than Apple anticipated as the company typically replaces around 1 to 2 million batteries in a year.

Tim Cook, in a published letter to investors, cited this as one of the factors that may have accounted for the weak iPhone sales.

Hypothetically, 11 million battery replacements also means 11 million less people who would upgrade or buy a new iPhone for $1,000 which would equate to $11 billion in lost revenue.

Despite this, it’s highly likely that the “economic deceleration” of China and other emerging markets and the lack of significant upgrades in the new trio of iPhones play a bigger part in the company’s outlook cut than discounted battery replacements. (READ: Apple cuts outlook, sees ‘challenges’ in China, emerging markets)

The silver lining for Apple here, as The Verge puts it, is there are 11 million people who stuck by Apple and will probably continue to pay for its other services. – Rappler.com