Apple Replaced 11 Million iPhone Batteries in 2018 (Around 9 Million More Than Average)

• Apple has decided to shut down its $29 battery replacement program following slow sales of the 2018 iPhone lineup.
• The company replaced 11 million iPhone batteries in 2018, which was the final year of the program.
• The replacement program was first launched following the company’s 'planned obsolescence' controversy.

Apple shut down its free battery replacement program on January 1, and CEO Tim Cook announced that the company replaced a total of 11 million iPhone batteries last year. The number is a huge increase from the usual 1 or 2 million batteries the company normally replaces.

The company realized that the number of battery replacements was high, but it was not attributed to the fact that users are less inclined to upgrade to the latest iPhones until late into last year. Shipments of the new iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR have been mild compared to the company’s performance over the previous years.

Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the battery replacement program affecting its sales stating: "We did it because we thought it was the right thing to do for our customers. I don't know what effect it will have for our investors. It was not in our thought process of deciding to do what we've done."

Apple’s decision to stop the replacement program is one of the reasons why the Q1 2019 guidance was cut by the tech giant. Apple is expecting a $4 million drop in revenue from its previous standard of $93 million. The battery replacement program was first launched after a massive outcry about Apple’s planned obsolescence to force users to upgrade.

Apple apologized to its users following the controversy and launched the program which ran until December 31, 2018. The software patches that restricted performance were also disabled, which led to a lot of users choosing not to upgrade their existing devices. It remains to be seen how Apple will remedy lackluster sales this year with its upcoming devices in 2019. Therefore, it's not surprising to know that the company won't show sales figures in the future.

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