It's a rough week for Apple Inc as the multibillion-dollar tech giant is embroiled in not just one but two court battles, including a $9 million fine imposed by the Australian government.
Apple has to face the consequences for misleading customers in the land down under who were told that the iPhone maker will not be able to fix their devices if they have a history with third-party repair shops. According to an Australian Federal Court, what Apple did was an infringement of the Australian Consumer Law.
As per Australian Consumer and Competition Commission investigation, at least 275 customers in Australia between February 2015 and February 2016 were told by either Apple customer support in-store or over the phone that they cannot fix any device that's previously repaired by unauthorized technicians.
"The court declared the mere fact that an iPhone or iPad had been repaired by someone other than Apple did not, and could not, result in the consumer guarantees ceasing to apply," Commissioner Sarah Court said.
In 2016, iPhone 6 models with home buttons replaced by third-party technicians around the world were bricked after updated to iOS 9. This prevented users from accessing their phones and all its content getting only the "error 53" message on the screen.
It appeared this errors normally is the result of devices that went through third-party modifications. At the time, Apple explained error 53 is a protective security feature designed to prevent malicious third-party components from taking advantage of an iPhone.
Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court has agreed to review a petition from Apple to reject a complaint pertaining to the App Store being an anti-competitive platform. Led by plaintiff Robert Pepper, an iPhone owner from Chicago, the opponents are seeking a class-action status for their complaint alleging the company has monopolized the software market by forcing developers to exclusively distribute their apps on the App Store.
