On April 12, Beijing time, according to foreign media reports, Apple has agreed to compensate users $53 million to reach an out of court settlement of a class action lawsuit over Apple's product warranty dispute.
The lawsuit began in 2010. At that time, American consumers accused apple of refusing to repair its iPhone and iPod touch, which are still under warranty, free of charge, on the ground that the water test paper inside the body is discolored. This kind of water test paper is developed by 3M company. It will change color after contacting with water. According to Apple's warranty, the iPhone and iPod touch are not guaranteed.
However, 3M said that humid air may also cause discoloration of the test paper, so discoloration of the test paper can not be used as a reliable basis for judging whether the equipment has water.
According to the leaked settlement, signed by Noreen Krall, Apple's chief litigation lawyer, Apple's compensation targets include the first generation iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and 1-3 generations of iPod touch users.
Under the agreement, Apple will advertise in USA Today and Macworld to provide users with the web address and other contact information they need to claim. Apple will also send e-mails directly to consumers who may need to make claims. Apple has now revised its warranty policy, no longer simply to test paper discoloration as a reason to refuse warranty.
It is not entirely clear how much compensation consumers can get for each claim. The more consumers claim, the less compensation everyone gets. It should be noted that the agreement still needs to be signed by the other parties and approved by the court before it can take effect.
In addition, apple said it disagreed with the charges in the lawsuit, regardless of whether the settlement was finally reached. As a matter of fact, this agreement makes it very clear on this point: 'Apple has proposed this settlement agreement to avoid the trouble and greater losses caused by complicated litigation. '