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Johannesburg - South Africans will have to fork out R429.78 to replace ageing iPhone batteries that are slowing down older phones.
After Apple had to eat humble pie in December with an announcement that it was slowing down its older models due to the older weakened batteries not coping with the phone's workload.
Apple said it had to slow down the phones processing power to keep the older phones from freezing, after it was caught out in an exposé. But it offered to replace the batteries at a special rate, dropping the price from $79 to $29 dollars.
Following this Apple offer, South Africa's iStore announced on Wednesday that the iPhone battery replacement cost in South Africa for out-of-warranty iPhone batteries is R377 excluding VAT (R429.78 including VAT), effective immediately.
The iStore is an Apple authorised service provider, which has 23 stores in South Africa.
Owners of iPhone SE, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7 and 7 Plus who suspect that their battery might need to be replaced should visit https://www.myistore.co.za/help-centre to make a technical appointment from Thursday.
READ: Apple's battery blunder big blow for iPhone sales
The customer’s iPhone will be assessed in store, and if eligible under this programme, will be sent for battery replacement. Online booking is essential.
iStore said the in-store technical appointment fee of R200 usually applicable to non-iStore customers, will be waived for this battery replacement programme for a limited time only, provided that an appointment has been booked online.
The battery issues have been hogging the headlines with Apple trying to appease irate customers.
"About a year ago in iOS 10.2.1, we delivered a software update that improves power management during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE," the manufacturer said.
"With the update, iOS dynamically manages the maximum performance of some system components when needed to prevent a shutdown. While these changes may go unnoticed, in some cases users may experience longer launch times for apps and other reductions in performance," Apple said.
Apple stressed that it hadn’t intentionally slowed the devices to encourage users to buy newer models.
"We’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible. We’re proud that Apple products are known for their durability, and for holding their value longer than our competitors’ devices," Apple said in its statement on battery replacement.
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