Apple: water damages iPhone, 10mln Antitrust penalty

(ANSA) - ROME, NOVEMBER 30 - Apple's advertising that boasted the resistance of iPhones to water was judged misleading by the Antitrust, which decided a penalty on the apple group, which also refused to provide assistance for damaged smartphones. million euros.

The authority has held unfair commercial practices the spread of promotional messages of different iPhone models in which the characteristic of being water resistant was enhanced for a maximum depth varying between 4 meters and 1 meter depending on the models and up to 30 minutes.

According to the Authority, however, it was not clarified in the messages that this property is found only in the presence of specific conditions, for example during specific and controlled laboratory tests with the use of static and pure water, and not in the normal conditions of use of the devices by consumers. .

    The Antitrust then deemed it appropriate to integrate an aggressive commercial practice the refusal by Apple, in the post-sale phase, to provide warranty assistance when those iPhone models were damaged due to the introduction of water or other liquids, thus hindering the exercise of the rights recognized to them by the law regarding the guarantee or by the Consumer Code (ANSA).