Apple will pull older iPhones in German stores after Qualcomm wins ban - The Verge

Apple will be pulling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its stores in Germany following a win for Qualcomm in the District Court of Munich, which ruled that Apple’s devices were infringing on Qualcomm’s intellectual property related to power savings in smartphones.

According to CNBC, Apple is already working to appeal the ruling, but the company has stated that as part of that process, it will be suspending sales of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in the 15 Apple stores in Germany. Newer devices, like the iPhone XS and XR, are unaffected by the ruling, and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 will still be available from third-party sellers and carriers as well.

The news comes after Qualcomm won a similar injunction in China that would have banned sales of older models, although Apple has already updated iOS for Chinese users with new animations to allow sales to continue. Per The Financial Times, Apple had apparently tried to issue a similar sort of software update earlier in the year to head off a potential issue in Germany (this time, related to how users can search contacts), but the latest ruling for power saving may be harder to solve, given that it’s seemingly a hardware problem.

The ruling marks the latest salvo in the increasingly escalating battle between Qualcomm and Apple, launched almost two years ago when Apple first accused Qualcomm of gouging prices for its modem chips. Qualcomm in turn launched a variety of lawsuits against Apple accusing it of violating its IP, which has led to the current fractious situation.

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