Will Apple's soaring battery prices force users who 'stick to their guns” to leave?

After the release of the iPhone 15 series, Apple was once again criticized for having no new ideas. Users holding previous-generation models said they had no emotions and even wanted to laugh a little.

But in order to let you "change your phone obediently", Apple has already thought of new strategies in advance.

At the same time that the iPhone 15 series was launched on the official website, Apple’s latest official battery replacement service strategy also came. Among them, the iPhone 14 series battery replacement service has increased from the original 748 yuan to 809 yuan.

(Photo source: Apple)

In addition to the previous generation models In addition, all iPhone models from iPhone 7 to the present have experienced price increases to varying degrees. It is worth noting that this is the second time this year that Apple has adjusted the price of battery replacement services.

# Frequently raises the price of battery replacement services. Does Apple really want to force old users to change their phones? Or maybe the Apple Care service plan is slow to sell, and you need help from "Apple fans"? Regardless, it's a chilling decision.

Forcing "nail households" away, Apple takes ruthless measures

The biggest price increase this time The "victim" is a non-full-screen iPhone model.

# It is understood that Apple officially still supports battery replacement service for models from iPhone 7 to iPhone 14 series, which are mainly divided into two types: full screen and non-full screen. camp.

The battery replacement service for iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone SE has increased from 528 yuan to 559 yuan; the iPhoneX ~ iPhone 13 series has increased from 688 yuan to 729 yuan. The iPhone 14 series is an exception, rising from 748 yuan to 809 yuan.

(Photo source: Apple)

Calculating on average, comprehensive The sales of iPhone models with full screens increased by 33%, and the sales of non-full-screen iPhone models increased by 47%.

#Interestingly, the lowest price offered by the second-hand iPhone 7 platform has reached 699 yuan. In other words, if you replace the battery at Apple’s official website, you can almost buy a second-hand iPhone 7.

#Of course, some users say, is it okay if I don’t change the battery?

#In fact, the "underclocking gate" incident was exposed as early as the iPhone 6 period. In 2018, some users broke the news online that after upgrading to the latest version of iOS, iPhone 6 experienced performance degradation, especially battery health, which was greatly reduced.

## (Source: Apple)

Although Apple finally gave The solution is to lower the price of battery replacement services, but its "frequency reduction" practice continues secretly. According to Apple’s description of iPhone battery usage guidelines, iPhones with battery health below 80% may experience some performance limitations.

As a result, users of older iPhone models must find ways to replace their phones with new batteries to ensure normal performance. This is very important for older models such as iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. After all, even when the normal battery is healthy, they are not too smooth for daily use.

(Source: Apple)

is different from accidental damage. Even with normal use, battery loss is inevitable. Therefore, in the smartphone industry, battery repair services are becoming more and more important. Most manufacturers have launched cheaper and more complete battery maintenance plans to help users of older models maintain normal and smooth use. Spend.

Apple seems to want to use the strategy of continuously increasing prices to stimulate old users to switch to the latest iPhone, but such an approach will only allow these users to quickly escape Apple's ecosystem.

The originator of battery marketing was actually stolen the limelight by a friend iPhone launches "Battery Health" feature to facilitate users to check the battery status of their phones.

The resulting anxiety about "battery health" began to spread.

Although Apple is one of the first manufacturers to build battery health into the system, it is far less generous than domestic mobile phone manufacturers in terms of battery after-sales service.

Xiaomi has launched a battery replacement plan for the Xiaomi Mi 13 series that is still on sale. The price is set at 159 yuan, and the out-of-warranty guide price is 40 yuan. In addition, the after-sales replacement price of the two batteries built into the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, which is more difficult to repair, is only 89 yuan.

(Source: Xiaomi official website)

Not only that, Xiaomi also often launches various limited-time promotions. For example, from January 1st to January 7th this year, the cost of battery replacement is 20% off. With the support of preferential policies, the service fee for old models such as Xiaomi MIX 4 and Xiaomi 11 is only less than 160 yuan. For the iPhone 12 series released in the same year, Apple’s official battery replacement cost is currently as high as 729 yuan.

#In addition, Huawei has also launched a "one-price battery replacement" service. This after-sales service will start on January 1, 2023 and end on December 31, 2023. Old models such as Huawei Mate 8 and P8, as well as Mate 40 RS Porsche Design and other expensive models at the time, only need You can get an official new original battery for 99 yuan.

(Source: Huawei Mall)

More importantly , Huawei, Xiaomi and other brands have a wide coverage of offline after-sales service points, and the battery replacement service is also very convenient. Compared with Apple, which takes several days to return to the factory, the time cost for users is also much less.

And this is not the end of battery after-sales service.

On September 15th, OPPO A2 Pro was officially released, along with the "Four-Year Battery Replacement Plan". According to OPPO's official description, as long as the user's battery health is less than 80% after after-sales testing within four years, the battery can be replaced once for free.

(Photo source; OPPO)

Hear this Sound familiar? Yes, the rules are the same as Apple’s battery replacement program under warranty. But Apple only provides a one-year warranty for iPhones, while OPPO provides four years.

#OPPO has extended the service period to four years, which is a plan that is very suitable for the current development of smartphones.

#It must be said that with the continuous development of battery cell technology, smartphones currently on sale can drop below 80% of their original capacity within a year. situation is very difficult to achieve. For most users who use mobile phones normally, Apple's warranty plan is equivalent to "paper talk" and its practicality is close to zero.

A report issued by market research organization Counterpoint last year showed that the per capita replacement cycle has reached 43 months in 2022, which is about three and a half years for a new mobile phone. Faced with an increasingly severe market environment, Apple and domestic mobile phone manufacturers have made completely opposite decisions.

OPPO, Xiaomi, Huawei and other brands have launched quite complete battery replacement plans, and there are also some preferential activities and limited-time discounts to benefit consumers. Apple, on the other hand, continues to increase battery replacement service fees to stimulate consumers to upgrade to new iPhone models. In this regard, domestic brands beat Apple too much.

Profit comes first, Apple ruthlessly "picks up" users' wool

In a wide variety of after-sales services , replacing the battery is the least worrying thing about losing business and the lowest cost. In Apple's profit-first business, it is naturally impossible to let this part go.

Because Apple’s battery replacement program is very expensive, the market has also spawned a large number of third-party battery replacement services. The quality of these services is uneven: some battery capacity is inflated. Some have poor standards and poor installation standards. Overall, these third-party services have seriously affected the reputation of the iPhone.

#In 2020, Apple personally suppressed third-party battery replacement services, issued compatibility reminders for unofficial batteries, and refused to provide battery health queries for these batteries. As a result, users who want to replace the battery can only choose official services.

(Source: Apple Newsroom)

We mentioned earlier , battery loss is almost inevitable, and the degree of loss is only linked to the user's usage habits. Faced with reduced battery health, users have only two choices: buy a new model or replace the battery. So whether it's AppleCare priced at 1,198 yuan for two years, or battery replacement service at a minimum of 559 yuan, Apple can successfully "gather" a handful of wool from users.

However, as the average time per person uses mobile phones increases, battery health will decline faster than before. More and more consumers will also choose to buy mobile phones. Pay more attention to the after-sales strategies of each brand. This is why domestic mobile phone brands are "involved" in battery replacement plans.

(Source: Apple)

From consumption From a consumer's perspective, battery replacement is a rigidly needed service, and Apple's attempt to use rising strategies to stimulate sales of new iPhones is definitely not the best way. In comparison, Xiaomi's limited-time promotions, Huawei's one-price battery replacement, or OPPO's four-year battery replacement plan are all more popular among users.

In any case, Apple’s “arrogance” comes from its extremely high market share of high-end smartphones, but consumers’ habits of purchasing mobile phones have quietly changed. In addition to paying more attention to the innovation and performance of the product itself, it has also begun to Pay attention to the brand’s after-sales policy. Domestic mobile phone brands with high cost performance and good after-sales service can actually give users a more comfortable experience. In the near future, this may also cause a fatal blow to Apple.

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