‘Batterygate’ lawsuits against Apple coming in Australia, South Korea

Another day, more lawsuits. Apple has published an apology letter to customers in regards to “Batterygate” for slowing down older phones to compensate for erratic battery performance but the lawsuits keep on coming, including new ones in Australia and South Korea.

According to The New Daily, iPhone owners could cash in on a portion of over $1 billion in what lawyers are touting as Australia’s largest-ever class action, after tech giant Apple admitted to slowing down some phones.

Australian compensation law firm Shine Lawyers confirmed to The New Daily on Friday that investigations have begun and it intends to file a class action against Apple in early 2018. Jan Saddler, Shine Lawyers’ class-action expert, estimated more than five million Australians have been affected. She said that the total amount of compensation sought through the class action would likely be “well in excess of $1 billion.”

Meanwhile, Apple faces multiple lawsuits in South Korea after admitting to slowing down iPhones as the batteries aged, reports the Strait Times. This is reportedly the first class-action suit in Asia on the issue.

South Korean law firm Hannuri said on Thursday (Dec 28) it would recruit plaintiffs through its website for two weeks and file a lawsuit against the headquarters of Apple to seek compensation in early February. Another law firm Hwimyoung has already gathered around 20 victims and is also preparing a similar lawsuit. The firm said it plans to sue Apple Korea for damages in early January in Seoul Central District Court. The litigation cost is around 500,000 won (S$625) to 1 million won per person, notes the Strait Times.