Australia’s consumer watchdog has sued Apple, alleging it used a software update to disable iPhones which had cracked screens.
The U. S. technology giant “bricked” – or disabled with a software update – hundreds of smartphones and tablet devices, and then refused to unlock them on the grounds that customers had the devices serviced by non-Apple repairers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a court filing.
“Consumer guarantee rights under the Australian Consumer Law exist independently of any manufacturer’s warranty and are not extinguished simply because a consumer has goods repaired by a third party,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.
