On December 28, Apple released a statement about the intentional slowdown of iPhone 6, 6 plus, 6s, 6s plus, and SE with the 10.2.1 update.
“With the update, iOS dynamically manages the maximum performance of some system components when needed to prevent a shutdown. While these changes may go unnoticed, in some cases users may experience longer launch times for apps and other reductions in performance.”
The reason for this was the chemically aging batteries, which most phones still run on, had less charge, so the slowdown was to preserve battery life. Unfortunately it also reduced performance. Every component in an electronic device has a lifespan. Batteries, in my experience, have the shortest lifespan of any component in any electronic. I work with used laptops and other devices; one of the biggest problems is how long the battery lasts; although a battery’s longevity varies. I have a laptop from 2010 that held it’s expected charge of 3 hours. I’ve also had one from 2013 die and you can’t use it unless it’s plugged in. The iPhone 6 released in 2014 that is still going strong after four years.
Most companies have problems with their batteries. Whether it be them exploding or it slowing down your phone, batteries are at fault. What can we do to have better batteries? Most people’s first answer would be to make them larger, so when they lose their charge it won’t be as bad. I have many problems with that, the first being that they would take up too much space on the phone, which means that your phone will be thicker. The second being, they might deteriorate faster than regular sized batteries. So what is the solution? Make better batteries. Samsung has already took the lead with redesigning all of them and making sure that each battery is checked to the extreme and is made very well. After the iPhone slowdown fiasco, I think that Apple will follow suit.
Apple’s batteries are far from perfect. Apple is not a perfect company. Most companies have faults, but what they did was learn from their mistakes to make a better product. Companies should learn from their mistakes, not make more.
