Italy antitrust watchdog fines Apple and Samsung over performance degrading updates

Back in January, we learned that Italy's antitrust watchdog had begun investigating both Apple and Samsung over software updates. Complaints of ‘planned obsolescence' appear to have carried a bit of weight, as the Italian anti-trust team has passed down fines to both companies.

The theories behind planned obsolescence reached a peak in late 2017 after it was found that Apple hampered iPhone performance after a few years to preserve battery health. Similar complaints haven't been made about Samsung but they ended up being lumped into the investigation anyway.

According to a report from Reuters, the investigation has concluded, with a 10 million euro fine being handed down to Apple for failing to give customers clear information on how to maintain or replace batteries. Samsung is also getting fined 5 million euros.

In a statement, the antitrust group said that both Apple and Samsung firmware updates “had caused serious dysfunctions and reduced performance significantly”. Apple and Samsung are being called on to provide customers with clearer information on the impact some software updates will have on their devices.

KitGuru Says: Apple and Samsung have yet to comment on this ruling but I imagine some kind of appeal will be filed. Have you guys ever had performance issues after updating an older smartphone to the latest software?

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