Apple CEO Tim Cook says the next iOS 11 update is set to allow users to disable the controversial feature that throttles the device’s processor speed in order to maintain battery performance.
Last month Apple admitted that the company intentionally slows down iPhones as they get older in order to prevent issues related to battery quality and unintentional shutdowns. While much of the controversy focused on the slow-down aspect — which was Apple effectively coming up with a feasible way to ensure older iPhones remain stable — it should have honed in on the fact that the company’s lack of transparency regarding the feature.
In a recent interview with ABC News, Cook said the update will arrive next month in an upcoming developer beta, before rolling out to the public shortly after.
“We’re going to give people the visibility of the health of their battery so it’s very, very transparent,” said Cook during the interview with ABC. “This hasn’t been done before.” While Cook’s statement is accurate as far as iPhones are concerned, for a number of year Android devices have included a feature that allows users to view battery health.
Cook goes on to state that the update will inform users when their iPhone’s performance has started to suffer. He also says the throttling can be turned off, though mentions that this option is not recommended. Apple’s CEO adds that he still stands behind Apple’s apology letter following the initial backlash from early December.
The next iOS 11 developer beta is set to launch in early February, indicating that a public release will likely come at some point in March.
Given that many assumed it wouldn’t be possible for Apple to make this performance curbing feature opt-in/opt-out, it will be interesting to see how it actually works when the feature is released.
Apple is currently offering battery discounted $35 battery replacements for the iPhone 6 or later regardless of diagnostic test results, according to an internal Apple Store memo. It’s also been revealed that iPhone 6 replacement batteries are currently in short supply.
Tim Cook also announced that the company is investing $350 billion in the U.S. economy over the next five years, leading to the creation of more than 20,000 jobs.
Source: ABC
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