heh
But that is NOT what Apple stated in their response to the claims of a general deliberate older iPhone slowdown. Here is what Apple’s official statement actually said:
"Last year (actual public release was January 23, 2017 in iOS 10.2.1— Swordmaker) we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."
It does not say it slows down the older iPhones for normal operations which is what the Geek Bench creator was going around saying in interviews to anyone who’d put him on camera. He’s basing that conclusion on his Geek Bench Testing which, by design, create exactly the kind of "instantaneous peak" usage that Apple’s new "feature" installed in these very phones he’s running the Geek Bench comparison tests is intended to prevent by spreading the type of processing the test does over a longer time! Naturally his test, triggering the safety feature, will report the device is appearing slower, but ONLY for doing the processor intensive tasks such as the Geek Bench Testing is intended to simulate!
All he’s proved is that Apple’s algorithm works during the stressful conditions it is intended to work under. It’s like wetting the streets down and then being surprised when a test for water on the streets finds water.
Replace the old, worn out battery with a new one and the algorithm will not find the conditions for it to kick in and an iPhone of that age works as fast as it did when new. Multiple tests have shown this to be true.
Apple has hidden nothing. This new feature of iOS 10.2.1 was discussed thoroughly back in January and February 2017 by reviewers of the update, for example here is contemporary commentary extracted by Rene Ritchie written iMore about this power management addition to iOS:
"My understanding is that, if a particularly processor-intensive task, such as a complex photo filter, caused a significant spike in power demand, an older battery unable to meet that demand could prompt a shutdown. So, by improving the advanced battery management in iOS 10.2.1, Apple has reduced the likelihood of that happening.Batteries do age with time and charge cycles, though. To help with awareness, Apple is adding a service notice to Settings > Battery in iOS 10.2.1. It's similar to the one already in place on the Mac. Anyone with a particularly weak battery who still experiences the issue should contact AppleCare.
It’s obvious what this is about. . . The news media is misconstruing a power management tool that prevents iOS devices with older, end-of-life batteries from completely shutting down the device when presented with a power draw it cannot handle—something far more likely to occur with more demanding processor or GPU intensive apps and upgraded apps intended for more capable and faster multi-cored processor/GPU equipped devices that have been released since the iPhone 6 was designed almost four years ago—with a deliberate hidden agenda to force users into upgrading to newer models, when in actuality what Apple is doing has extended the life of that expended battery beyond its rated charge/recharge cycles lifespan so users may eke out more time on their devices before having to upgrade.
Of course, the user could expend between $10 and $79 and simply replace the depleted battery and solve the damn proble.