Apple to pay $53M to settle warranty lawsuit

Apple has agreed to pay $53 million to settle a class action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court involving iPhone and iPod touch warranties, according to a new report. The settlement, which has yet to be filed, will pay cash to iPhone and iPod touch customers denied repair or replacement of a faulty device, whether through Apple’s standard one-year or extended two-year warranty. A number of combined lawsuits noted that Apple refused to honor warranties if a white indicator tape within the phone turned pink or red. The changing tape color was believed to signal a device had made contact with water, but tape maker 3M said humidity could have turned the tape pink. Devices affected are from older generations: the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the first, second, and third-generation iPod touch. [via Wired]