What's Happening With Apple's 'Error 53'?
"Error 53" has plagued countless Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) users, as their iPhone 6 handsets have been rendered permanently disabled following software upgrades, according to the Guardian.
According to the Guardian report and countless user accounts, repaired iPhone 6s have been left "useless," completely and permanently disabled after various upgrades.
The onslaught of non-functioning repaired iPhones have led many to question whether the policy that issues the error message could be illegal, "At least one firm of US lawyers said it hopes to bring a class action against the technology giant on behalf of victims whose £500 phones have been rendered worthless by an Apple software upgrade."
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The Software
As explained by the Guardian, "The Apple iOS 9 software update which it launched last autumn will, in the jargon, ‘brick' the handset if it detects that the touch ID fingerprint recognition and/or the home button is not the original [...] In most cases the phone had been working normally for weeks or months before the software upgrade shut down the handset."
While Apple has commented that the "bricking" is a security feature, it has been suggested that it could be a ploy to raise more money for the company, forcing users to buy a new handset.
The Responses
In addition to the countless outcries from Apple users, lawyers in the US and abroad are jumping on the issue.
One lawman, Richard Colbey from London stated, "It is hard to see how something which ceases to work in this way could be said to be of reasonable quality, one of the determinants of which is durability."
At this time, Apple's response has included a revised statement on Saturday, which said in part, "This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used. If a customer encounters Error 53, we encourage them to contact Apple Support."
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