Echoes the frustration of many Apple mobile users.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Apple is being challenged by a class-action lawsuit over storage on iOS devices, namely iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
The action alleges that Apple does not properly inform users of the storage space needed to install its latest mobile operating system and then coerces them to buy more space via its iCloud service.
The motion was filed on Tuesday in California and states that up to 23.1 percent of advertised storage space on Apple devices would be exhausted by installing iOS 8. The lawsuit also underscores a disparity between the amount of storage space Apple advertises and that which is actually available to consumers in Apple products.
“Using these sharp business tactics, [Apple] gives less storage capacity than advertised, only to offer to sell that capacity in a desperate moment, e.g., when a consumer is trying to record or take photos at a child or grandchild’s recital, basketball game or wedding,” the plaintiffs accuse.
The official case document even manages to sneak a pun into its exposition. “…Although [Apple] advertised based upon the decimal-based system of measurement… the Devices (sic) display available capacity based upon the binary definitions. This is confusing even to the technically savvy because it prevents consumers from making the proverbial ‘apples to apples’ comparison.”
The litigation does echo the frustration of a number of Apple mobile users. iOS adopters became aware of the difficulties installing the then new operating system as soon as it was released in September of 2014. Many had to delete media from their gadgets in order to accommodate the update, oft resorting to removing apps and photos from their Apple apparatuses.
Apple’s eight iterations of iOS ultimately occupies 1.1 GB of space. However, it requires 5.8 GB to install over the air. In comparison, the previous iteration of iOS required 3.3 GB of space to install wirelessly.
Apple has faced an analogous lawsuit in the past, when it successfully defended itself against Canadian litigation that alleged the tech giant misled consumers about the amount of storage available on iPods. Market competitors Microsoft and Samsung have also been sued over claims of not being forthright about the true storage capacity of their devices.
The lawsuit can be read in its entirety here.