Apple had 100,000 iPhones stolen by a company and scattered in China. However, the company did not sue until the end. Where is the reason?
Apple has decided not to proceed with a lawsuit against GEEP - the company that helps Apple eliminate more than 250,000 iPhones each year. These devices have been purchased by Apple for trade-in or recycling, and many are still in good working condition and may have been factory reset, refurbished, and sold on the used smartphone market. used.
According to Bloomberg, "Apple" discovered at least 99,975 iPhones that were shipped to China by GEEP, sold as used devices in this country.
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Previously, in 2020, Apple filed a lawsuit against GEEP for breach of contract but the technology "giant" has not yet taken any further action. The lawsuit will be automatically dismissed in January 2025 if Apple does not continue with its legal actions. In August 2024, GEEP's lawsuit accusing three former employees of the company of stealing iPhones will also be automatically dismissed.
So why did Apple - the company that sent GEEP more than 530,000 iPhones, 25,000 iPads and 19,000 Apple Watches for processing in the first 2 years of the contract - decide not to continue legal action even though it could win the case? easy?
According to industry experts, it's highly likely because Apple doesn't want the public to know that it has scrapped hundreds of thousands of working iPhones to prevent these phones from cannibalizing sales of new low-cost iPhone models. higher.
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As noted by Bloomberg, many of the iPhones that Apple paid GEEP to get rid of were refurbished iPhones. The actions that Apple assigned to GEEP would contradict its statement that "reuse is our first choice." The company also announced a goal of reaching 100% carbon neutrality by 2030.
Apple's "Daisy" recycling robot can disassemble hundreds of old iPhones every hour and collect usable parts from these iPhones. Bloomberg's article said that showing off the Daisy robot to the press was just an effort by Apple to create a positive relationship with the public.
The report also said that at the same time Apple introduced the Daisy robot to the Netherlands, a person working for recycling partner Re-Teck claimed to have witnessed tons of AirPods, Apple Watches and Macs being crushed. Many devices were still in good working order but had been destroyed by Re-Tech staff using a hammer.