On December 6th, the second instance of a collective lawsuit by seven South Korean consumers against Apple for reducing the performance of their old iPhone through system upgrades was announced, and the court ruled in partial favor of the plaintiff. The Seoul High Court sentenced Apple to pay 70000 Korean won (approximately 382 yuan) in compensation to each plaintiff.
The court did not accept the plaintiff's claim that Apple's upgrade to the iOS system constitutes the release of malicious programs or damage to iPhone performance. However, the court held that even if updating the operating system is aimed at preventing the phone from automatically shutting down, it also limits the performance of the central processing unit (CPU) and other devices. Apple has an obligation to inform consumers whether to install updates, but it violates this rule. At the same time, if consumers suffer mental losses due to infringement of their right to choose, it is determined that Apple is liable for compensation.