Apple hit with class action lawsuit, saying iOS 9 crippled older phones

Today is not a good day for Apple. Earlier we brought you news that the giant agreed to pay a $347M settlement for underpaying corporate taxes in Italy. Now we're seeing news that the company is being hit with another lawsuit. This time it's a class action lawsuit from current iPhone 4s owners.

According to the lawsuit, owners of the iPhone 4s have had major issues with their phones since upgrading to iOS 9. They stated that the most recent software update "significantly slowed down" their iPhones and "interfered with the normal usage of the device." Check out an excerpt from the filing below.

When iPhone 4s owners are faced with the dilemma of continuing to use a slow, buggy phone or spend hundreds to buy a new phone, Apple often benefits because consumers will often buy a new iPhone to keep their investment in the App ecosystem. [...]

Furthermore, iPhone owners will buy a newer iPhone when faced with the choice because it is familiar and they can easily transfer their information, media, contacts, and apps without a major disruption in usage. There is no learning curve and no delays and trouble that accompany new information input. Thus Apple stands to benefit financially when older iPhones are slowed down and owners are forced to purchase a new phone.

Having worked in IT for a large company when the iOS 9 update rolled out, I can see how people would be upset. I advised users of older phones not to upgrade, and those that did, ended up getting their phones replaced, due to the hassle that the new OS was causing.

The real question is how much Apple is at fault for this, and what their cutoff should be for offering updates to older devices. If you stop offering the new OS to older devices, customers will complain that they're being forced to upgrade for newer versions of apps to work. And if they continue to allow the OS to be installed on older phones, well, lawsuits like these will continue to happen.

VIA: MacRumors