Apple was subjected to several class action lawsuits in the past 2-3 years. It even lost these cases and paid a total of 1 billion dollars in fines to its customers. The company, which was previously sued for iPhone, was now sued for iCloud.
Apple was sued for insufficient 5 GB of free space when iCloud was introduced
Tech giant Apple is accused of increasing its profitability by inflating the prices of its iCloud service. The lawsuit alleges that Apple manipulated the competitive landscape by only allowing iCloud to manage device backups and other storage needs.
Apple offers 5 GB of free iCloud storage to its users, but many users find that this does not meet their storage needs and purchase an additional iCloud storage plan. iCloud’s free level has remained at 5 GB and has not changed since it was introduced by Steve Jobs at WWDC 2011.
An important part of the case centers on the fact that iPhone users have only one option for full device backups, and that option is Apple’s own iCloud service.
The fact that iCloud only offers 5 GB for free is also a focal point of the lawsuit. Apple requires mobile device owners to use iCloud to back up certain types of files (in particular, data related to device settings and apps). For other file types (for example, photos and videos), Apple requires mobile device owners to choose from other cloud-based storage providers.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple has prevented competing cloud platforms from offering a full-service cloud solution that can effectively compete with iCloud. Apple limits free iCloud storage to 5GB. Many people are forced to buy more storage to back up their devices. Apple’s restrictions remove this option, forcing Apple device owners to use iCloud for cloud storage.
The debate over Apple’s iCloud service and pricing policies continues. The lead plaintiff, represented by the law firm Hagens Berman, is the same law firm behind a number of other class action lawsuits against Apple. People who purchased iCloud storage and wish to participate in the litigation can do so by filling out a form on the Hagens Berman website.
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