According to the “Sydney Morning Herald” report, the Federal Court of Australia recently ruled that it imposed a fine of A$9 million on Apple’s company because Apple misled the consumer into thinking that if the iOS device was previously repaired by a third party, Apple would no longer Provide repair services to them.
It is understood that in 2016, after Apple's ios software upgrade, some devices that have undergone third-party repairs of screens and Touch IDs appear to be 'bricked' after updating, and affected iPhones and iPads will display a '53 error (Error53 )' Information.
At that time, Apple claimed that the '53 error' was due to security considerations. It was designed to prevent 'malicious' third-party parts from damaging the user's iPhone. After the public protest, Apple released a software update package that restored the 'brick' The function of the iPhone. At the same time, Apple also informed consumers that if the equipment in question had previously been repaired by an unauthorized third-party repairer, Apple would not repair and compensate it.
After receiving complaints that Apple refused to repair the affected equipment, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigated that Apple’s refusal to repair the affected equipment violated Australia’s consumer rights laws and therefore applied to Apple’s Legal action, Apple will appeal to the Australian Federal Court.
According to the ACCC, there are at least 275 misguided consumers. The ACCC also stated that Apple had misleading or deceptive behavior regarding software upgrades and users' right to repair, and made false or misleading statements about consumers.
In addition, it is understood that after learning that it was investigated from the ACCC, Apple has indicated that it has contacted about 5,000 consumers and will provide compensation for it. Apple also said that it will improve employee training methods, review the relevant warranty on the website and ' Australian consumer law's information and ensuring that the process is compliant.
It can be seen that, even if it is as strong as Apple, it can only respond actively and make adjustments in the face of public protests and laws. In fact, in the author’s view, today’s consumers are increasingly focusing on consumer feelings and self-defense consciousness. It has also been significantly improved over the past. No matter how good the product is, it must be consumer-centric and stand out from the perspective of consumers, so as to truly increase user loyalty and brand height.
So, Apple's closed strategy may also have to make some adjustments. After all, the battery-related 'down-clocking' incident had caused Apple to fall into the storm of public opinion.
Moreover, in the era of consumer upgrades, the rising domestic mobile phone manufacturers are vigorously deploying high-end markets and accelerating the process of internationalization. In addition to Huawei, Ov’s blue-green brothers are also making technological changes and trying to increase their brands. Image, The recently released vivo NEX and the OPPO Find X, which was recently selected for debut in Paris, are the best examples. Apple does not increase its product innovation efforts, and is really focused on considering the high-end market. After being attacked more strongly by Huawei and Ovs, it is likely to decline.