Apple has once again come under the scrutiny of European authorities. (Symbolic image) © Christian Charisius/dpa
Apple has once again been targeted by European authorities: France's judiciary has initiated investigations against the US company on suspicion of targeted product wear.
Paris – Are iPhones sometimes intentionally designed to break down faster and consumers have to buy a new one? This suspicion is apparently held by France's judiciary against the technology company Apple. The U.S. company is once again in the sights of the authorities on suspicion of targeted product wear and tear of its smartphones.
As the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed on Monday, investigations against Apple had already been initiated in December for alleged misleading business practices and so-called planned obsolescence. The consumer protection organization Hop accuses Apple of restricting the repair of iPhones by unauthorized garages.
France: Consumer advocates filed a complaint
Hop had filed a complaint against Apple. According to the public prosecutor's office, the anti-fraud authority is investigating the proceedings that have now become known. Hop's consumer advocates hope that the procedure will sanction so-called "serialization practices" of the U.S. company and prove their "criminal character".
Hop accuses Apple of linking the serial numbers of iPhones and the serial numbers of the individual parts they contain. This gives Apple the ability to restrict iPhone repairs by unauthorized repairers - or remotely damage smartphones that have not been repaired with original spare parts. Apple France could not initially be reached for comment on the allegations.
France had already imposed penalties on Apple
Hop called on Apple to guarantee consumers the right to have their devices repaired "in the spirit of a true circular economy".
In February 2020, France had already fined Apple $25 million for deliberately throttling the performance of iPhones. At the beginning of 2018, the senior public prosecutor's office had initiated investigations into targeted product wear and tear against Apple after a complaint by Hop. Apple had admitted to intentionally limiting the performance of older iPhone models – but described this as a measure to extend the life of the devices. (lma/AFP/dpa)
