Yahoo Finance Apple 'replaced ten times more batteries in 2018 than predicted', hitting iPhone sales
Ten times more iPhone owners are thought to have cashed in on Apple's discounted battery repairs than the company normally expects, hitting sales of its latest models.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook was said to have told staff at a meeting earlier this month that customers had claimed 11 million of its cheaper £25 batteries, which the company had offered at a discount after a battery scandal saw its older iPhones slowing down.
Mr Cook said Apple normally expects only around 1-2 million battery replacements, with the surge in repairs hitting sales and blamed in part for Apple cutting its earnings forecast, according to Apple blogger John Gruber.
Apple launched its discounted scheme of battery repairs after it was revealed the company was slowing down its older iPhone models to save on battery wear. Apple was forced to apologise for making its batteries "less effective".
The iPhone maker cut the price to £25 after outcry from customers, with a deadline of December 31 for those who wanted to replace their battery at the lower price. Older iPhone models now cost £45 to repair, while the current iPhone XS and iPhone XR models cost £65.
The cheaper rate is thought to have seen more than ten million people choose to upgrade their iPhone batteries, when many would normally have bought a new smartphone instead.
Earlier this month, Apple wrote to shareholders to issue an earnings warning, predicting its revenues would be around $84bn (£65bn), down from a high estimate of $93bn.
In the letter, Mr Cook blamed slowing sales in China for most of the earnings cut, but added that battery replacements had also weighed on Apple's top-line figures.
Mr Cook said: "We believe there are other factors broadly impacting our iPhone performance, including... some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements."
The spike in demand for new batteries was felt by stores around the UK. One UK-based Apple-authorised repair specialist told customers in the run up to the New Year that "battery stock is running very low due to the huge demand to replace batteries before the cut off date".
