US class action lawsuit: AirPods Pro 1 are too crisp
Noise from Apple's penultimate generation of ANC earplugs has now provoked a legal dispute. Users in California are hoping for compensation.
First-generation AIrPods Pro: What is that cracking so unpleasantly?
(Image: Apple)
Class action lawsuits by customers against Apple are nothing new in the USA. When major problems arise with the iPhone company's hardware and software, users often quickly come together to claim compensation through specialized law firms. This is now also the case with the first-generation AirPods Pro: an annoying cracking problem that has been known since at least 2020 has now become the reason for a new class action lawsuit against Apple in California. The lawsuit was filed a few weeks ago in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California by a total of three Apple customers who had the problem – and are now looking for other people living in the USA who have had the same experience.
Unpleasant disturbing noise
The cracking AirPods Pro apparently had to do with contamination problems on the microphones of the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) of the AirPods Pro 1. Apple had already acknowledged this in a support document. "Crackling and static noises" could then occur. "Sometimes foreign objects or earwax can accumulate", according to Apple. There are also said to have been possible software problems, which Apple wanted to fix with a firmware update.
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In practice, the problem with the second-generation earplugs, which currently cost 280 euros, became noticeable during normal wear: Suddenly, the crackling noises occurred. These could also be unpleasantly loud and made them impossible to use – Sometimes it helped to remove the AirPods Pro and put them back in the ear. However, the problem sometimes recurred later. A model in the Mac & i editorial office also exhibited this behavior. Cleaning helped here, but it continued to occur sporadically. The problem was only really solved by switching to the newer AirPods Pro 2, where Apple has apparently tweaked the microphone cover.
Sale for at least three years
The class action lawsuit now states that Apple has already acknowledged the "audio defect" of the AirPods Pro 1. It cites the support documents in question. However, Apple continued to sell the devices – from October 2019 to September 2022. "Reasonable customers like Plaintiffs would not have purchased the AirPods Pro 1 had they known that Apple's representations of the audio functionality and quality were false and misleading," the lawsuit states. The plaintiffs are from the states of Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The aim is to obtain damages from Apple as mentioned above.
According to the plaintiffs, the sum of the claims is over 5 million US dollars and the potential class action could affect more than 100 people. It is still unclear whether the plaintiffs will succeed in their aim to turn the case into a class action –, which will have to be decided by the competent court. If so, Apple could face fines in the single to triple-digit millions, as the AirPods Pro 1 have sold very well. The company has not yet commented on the lawsuit. Such cases often end with an out-of-court settlement, in which Apple agrees to pay damages – without acknowledging any legal obligation –, plus legal fees.
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