Following Apple’s announcement today of an iPod update to limit volume levels, attorneys involved in a class-action lawsuit over iPod hearing loss have released a statement, saying that they “lauded Apple’s decision to provide a way to limit the volume of the popular iPod devices, but said the company’s actions fall far short.”
“It is good to know that Apple finally acknowledges that there is a serious flaw with its iPod product, and is giving U.S. purchasers the same protection it has been giving French purchasers since 2002,” said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “Unfortunately, this patch doesn’t help the millions of people who own older models—it is a jack-legged workaround that falls well short of what consumers demand and deserve.”
“While the software allows users to set levels, the company does next to nothing to educate consumers about what is safe,” J.R. Whaley, another attorney representing the plaintiffs. “Many consumers would conclude that 100 DB is twice as loud as 50 DB but that’s not the case; for every 10 decibels, the loudness actually increases twofold. Fifty decibels is twice as loud as 40, 60 is four times as loud as 40, and so on.”
“We contend that Apple has done next to nothing to inform consumers regarding these issues,” Berman concluded.
