R430. That’s what it will cost South African consumers to replace the battery of their “older” Apple iPhones at an iStore.
But they will have to be prepared to be without their phones for three to five working days‚ says iStore‚ an Apple authorised service provider.
iStore announced the pricing on Wednesday of replacement batteries for out-of-warranty iPhones SE‚ 6‚ 6 Plus‚ 6s‚ 6s Plus‚ 7 and 7 Plus‚ as part of Apple’s official worldwide battery replacement programme.
The exact price is R429.79 - R377 plus VAT - and is effective immediately.
Apple admitted last month that it intentionally slowed down older iPhones with weakening batteries via a software upgrade‚ to prevent the handset from shutting off abruptly when in use.
That sparked fury among owners of the iconic phone worldwide - and some legal action - many arguing that had they known‚ they’d have opted to buy new batteries rather than replace their slowed-up phone.
South Africans affected by the programme need to make a booking at one of the country’s 23 iStores‚ rather than walking in unannounced‚ and the usual R200 “in-store technical appointment fee for non-iStore customers” will be waived.
To make an appointment‚ visit https://www.myistore.co.za/help-center from Thursday (January 11).
“The customer’s iPhone will be assessed in store‚ and if eligible under this programme‚ will be sent for battery replacement‚” iStore said in a statement.
“Battery replacement times may differ based on stock availability.”
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