Late last year, Apple announced to the world that it has been slowing down older iPhone models using large software updates, a fact many iPhone users have long suspected. Angry customers say the purpose of these updates is to encourage the purchase of newer iPhone models, however, Apple insists such updates are to protect the lifespan of the lithium-ion batteries these iPhones use.

The way I see it, Apple’s goal with these updates aren’t to protect the battery, but rather to promote its newer iPhone models.

Apple should have at least let its customers know about this issue to prevent the controversy surrounding these software updates. There’s so much else Apple could’ve done to solve this problem, and it went with the option that most inconveniences their customers’ phones.

For example, Apple could have set a system to replace batteries annually for a reasonable fee. That would solve the lithium-ion batteries’ slow degradation in a way that’s much more considerate to the customer.

If a high school student can come up with a simple solution such as this, then I imagine a company worth over $900 billion can as well.

Apple’s main goal here isn’t to fix the battery life of their phones, but rather to direct its customers towards buying the newest, greatest phone they release. The lifespan of a lithium-ion battery can be very easily tested, making predictions for the death/failure of one of these batteries easy to discover. If this is the case, then Apple can do even more to support the replacing of the phone’s battery by setting reminders and notifications telling the user when his/her battery is becoming unhealthy and in need for a replacement.

Perhaps the biggest reason I think Apple is lying to its customers, however, is the fact that Apple hid these phone-slowing updates from its users. Before the allegations were made against Apple, no one knew for certain that these updates existed. Even as the rumors were floating around, Apple never once took the time to properly respond and confirm that these updates existed, probably because it knew the issue would cause all the controversy they have been receiving recently.

Even so, a customer deserves to know what’s happening to their phones and why they’re suddenly slowing down, especially when some of those phones cost up to $1000.

The best bet iPhone users have right now is to try and get their phones’ batteries replaced as soon as possible. It should help with performance issues you may or may not be experiencing, and it will probably help to extend your battery life, “refreshing” your phone back to the state it was in when you first bought it. I imagine it may take a while before this is actually a viable option because of the huge demand for batteries coming into Apple at the moment.

There are so many other options that Apple could’ve taken to try and fix the issue of lithium-ion batteries degrading over time. That’s why I believe Apple’s goal with these software updates isn’t to stop their batteries from crashing, but rather to try and get their customers to buy the newest and greatest Apple product, which, if you ask me, is truly evil.