Apple could soon be facing legal action over noise, interference, and a host of other issues related to sound quality in its first-generation AirPods Pro, which were released in 2019 and sold until September 2022.
Shortly after the first AirPods Pro were released, early adopters took to social media groups and online tech forums to complain about annoying static noise, rattling, and even popping while listening to music. This was exacerbated when users walked or ran with the headphones on, sometimes causing a loss of bass and increased ambient noise.
That's the issue laid out in a 51-page complaint titled LaBella et al v. Apple. The plaintiffs say the legal campaign is aimed not just at Apple's decision to continue selling the earbuds despite knowing about the problems, but also at how the company falsely advertised the "superior sound quality" and "ultra-clear, crystal-clear sound" that AirPods Pro can deliver.
Apple’s marketing allegedly “misled” a significant number of potential customers, many of whom were unaware that such crackling and background noise were unusual. The plaintiffs’ argument is that many people would have avoided buying the headphones if they had known about the problem, or would have considered the headphones defective at a more reasonable price.
" The AirPods Pro Gen 1 are not worth the high price consumers have paid, as they have audio defects and do not live up to Apple's advertising promises of perfect sound quality and noise cancellation ," the lawsuit alleges.
The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and relief. They also want Apple to replace all defective devices free of charge. If the court determines the case is valid and Apple is found guilty, all AirPods Pro owners in the United States could potentially receive compensation in the form of Apple gift cards that can be redeemed for future purchases from the company.
Apple, on the other hand, was well aware of the issue. Initially, the company attempted to fix it with emergency software updates. But the strange sounds continued to appear on the AirPods Pro. So it quickly became clear that the problem was hardware-based. Finally, the company relented and announced a support program called AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues in October 2020.
Apple later admitted that a “small percentage” of AirPods Pro units manufactured before October 2020 may have audio issues. However, the plaintiffs claim that all AirPods Pro units are affected regardless of their production date. They also allege that the company failed to notify AirPods Pro owners of the existence of the service program. As a result, many AirPods Pro owners are left without support.
Regardless, Apple acknowledged that the issues ranged from “crackling or increased noise in noisy environments, while exercising, or when talking on the phone” to active noise cancellation “not working as expected, such as losing bass or increasing background noise — like street or airplane noise.” A year later, Apple quietly extended the service program by another year, and updated the details to say that the program “covers AirPods Pro for 3 years after the first retail sale of the device.”
Anyone experiencing these issues can take their AirPods Pro to Apple for a free repair or replacement. But it turns out that many people are experiencing the same issue with replacements, suggesting that there’s a fundamental problem with all devices rather than just a subset of headphones produced during a specific time frame. The issue won’t be fully fixed until the AirPods Pro 2, which is due in 2022.
Apple has issued a series of service programs over the past few years to address hardware issues. The company recently announced a program for a hardware issue affecting “a very small percentage” of iPhone 14 Plus devices, where the rear camera fails to display a preview in the Camera app.
The iPhone 16e is the latest iPhone model just announced by Apple, and has immediately attracted a lot of attention from users when it is priced at a quite affordable level, only 599 USD.
Code found in the newly released iOS 18.4 beta suggests Apple is preparing an alternative to the ChatGPT integration in Apple Intelligence, most likely Google Gemini.
Some people have shared tips to improve battery life by uninstalling a single app: Chrome. Your battery life will be better after that!
If you are someone who likes to learn about iPhone and iOS operating system, you must have followed the development of classic game emulators for iPhone.
Finally, Apple is allowing Android device users to use FaceTime.
After countless rumors and leaks, Apple finally officially announced iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 on stage at WWDC 2022
After months of speculation, Apple has finally officially introduced the newest member of the iPhone 16 series, called the iPhone 16e.
The most expensive apps on Apple's App Store cost thousands of dollars.
With these moves, Apple is really looking to build trust and transparency around PCC, as well as reinforce its commitment to protecting user privacy and security in the cloud.
The Magic Mouse is one of the oldest accessories Apple has in its product catalog. It has been on sale since 2009, making it even older than the first-generation iPad.
In recent years, technology products are increasingly chosen by many people as satisfactory gifts to send to friends, relatives, colleagues and partners.
Apple Watch is no longer just a smart wearable device and a stylish piece of technology.
The attention to detail that once set Apple apart seems to be lacking, and many are starting to think about taking their tech ecosystem elsewhere.
The speaker will have sensors to detect the curvature of the flexible wall and the amount of deformation that has occurred in the flexible wall, magnet and speaker cone.
Apple News+ will soon be the place to solve the age-old problem of what's for dinner.
macOS Catalina and iPadOS include support for a new feature called Sidecar, designed to let you use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac.
This is a set of Nokia 1280 wallpapers, if you have ever texted to get 1280 wallpapers, brick phone wallpapers, then try looking at these wallpapers.
Venus Aerospace has revealed the first images of its new hypersonic aircraft called the Stargazer, which can reach a top speed of 11,115 km/h, equivalent to Mach 9.
Bloating can happen to anyone. The good news is that breakfast is a great time to add a few ingredients to your meal that can help reduce bloating. That ingredient is bananas.
OpenAI has just officially introduced a remarkable upgrade to the AI image generation capability in ChatGPT, an important step forward instead of using a separate image generation model like the previous DALL-E.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has just officially released its latest large language model (LLM), DeepSeek-V3-0324.
Gboard has long been the go-to keyboard on Android phones. However, many people have recently switched to Samsung Keyboard and haven't looked back.
Send sweet and romantic weekend wishes to your lover. Although they are just words or messages, they will be meaningful spiritual gifts, helping to strengthen your relationship.
HBO's Harry Potter remake is expected to premiere in 2026. Here's what makes the TV Harry Potter a success.
Beautiful moon pictures are not rare on the Internet. This article will summarize for you the most beautiful moon pictures in the world.
Now, AMD has responded to the issues with its underperforming flagship CPU line with a new update that could deliver a few more frames per second.
In October 2022, Elon Musk spent $44 billion to acquire X, but the platform's value has now dropped 78.6% to about $9.4 billion.
When NASA's Artemis I mission successfully launches into space and begins its journey around the moon in 2022, there won't be any astronauts on board — instead, there will be two adult-sized mannequins.
Cleaning doesn't have to be a chore if you know how to make it fun. Here are some simple ways to make cleaning fun.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Fortress is getting a lot of attention from fans. So what's inside Demon Slayer's Infinity Fortress? Let's find out together!
