Apple was accused of interfering with contracts and breaking competition laws by penalising people who switched from an iPhone but remained with the same mobile network provider, and failing to inform them about the problem.
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In case you don’t remember, Adrienne Moore filed a complaint after she went from an iPhone 4 to an Android-powered Samsung.
Moore alleges Apple intentionally failed to tell people that iMessage won’t deliver all their text messages if they start using a rival smartphone. Meanwhile, across the pond in Europe, Android users are jumping ship to the iPhone because the newest models have larger screens, right? Apple finally fixed the problem earlier this year.
“Systematic flaws that could result in the disruption of text messaging services, that determination does not assist the court in determining whether iMessage actually caused the proposed class members to suffer any interference”, said Judge Koh in her ruling.
Apple has argued that the lawsuits should be thrown out. The company’s best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.
AT&T’s appearance in the case is also interesting because former AT&T and Apple employees have told Business Insider in emails that they lost sales on Android phones because of the issue.
Apple has requested – and been granted – permission to conduct much of the litigation in secrecy. In fact the video confirms what we already know: that most of us choose a phone based on what we’re used to, fashion, the other devices we have, and brand loyalty more than the specific tricks and functions of the software. The email has been sealed. A new job listing, via 9to5Mac, suggests that could very well be the case.
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Apple has yet to comment on the latest developments, but said in a statement in November: “Apple takes customer satisfaction extremely seriously, but the law does not provide a remedy when, as here, technology simply does not function as plaintiff subjectively believes it should”.
