Apple has agreed to settle (PDF) a pair of class action lawsuits brought against it in Canada by Inez Lenzi and Bradley Waddell that accused the company of misleading consumers about the battery life of its famous iPod portable media players. Under terms of the settlement, customers who bought particular iPods in Canada on or before June 24, 2004, will be eligible for $45 CDN credit in the Apple Canada online store.
The suits alleged Apple misled consumers by claiming the iPods were capable of 8 to 10 hours of continuous music playback; however, as users recharged their iPods, the battery life declined over time, in some cases holding a charge good only for two or three hours of music playback.
The settlement follows along the lines of a separate U.S. class action lawsuit the company settled in 2005 over Apple iPod battery life; in that settlement, Apple agreed to give customers $50 in store credit or $25 cash if the batteries in certain early iPods dropped below particular levels.
Store credits received under the class action settlement must be used within 12 months.
