Apple has finally settled a pair of Canadian class action lawsuits that accused Apple of misleading their customers about the battery life of its portable music players – the Apple iPods.
The class-action lawsuits were filed in Canada by Inez Lenzi and Bradley Waddell. The lawsuits charged Apple of misleading consumers about the iPod’s battery life. Under the terms of settlement, consumers who bought specific iPods in Canada on or before June 24, 2004, are eligible for a $45 CDN credit in the Apple Canada online store.
According to the lawsuits, Apple allegedly claimed that the iPods were capable of 8 to 10 hours of continuous music playback. However, user experience tells that the battery life of the iPods declined over time and some even claimed that a fully-charged music player is good only for two or three hours of music playback.
It can also be remembered that Apple also settled lawsuits in the U.S. in 2005. The settlement includes Apple agreeing to give customers $50 in store credit or $25 cash if the batteries in certain early iPods dropped below particular levels.
Under the class action settlement, store credits received by the consumers must be used within 12 months.