Electronics giant Apple has been forced to remove the phrase “impact resistant” from product descriptions of its Apple Watch, after losing a UK court case over a cracked screen to a buyer who claims he bought the product because he is “prone to knocking things around”.
Gareth Cross, from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, found a crack in the screen of his Apple Watch Sport just 10 days after buying the £339 product late last year.
Initially, Apple responded to Cross’ complaint by saying that the issue was not covered under their warranty.
Mr Cross then successfully took his case to a small claims court for breach of the Sale of Goods Act over a misleading product description, which the self-proclaimed “clumsy” buyer claims influenced him to buy the product in the first place.
Apple must now pay Cross a total of £429 – covering the initial cost of the watch plus court fees – by 22 February this year.
Mr Cross has expressed “relief” over the verdict, following legal action that lasted six months.
Mr Cross said: “The case did start to become a little stressful, especially toward the end with the prospect of having to attend court to defend my claim against what was the most valuable company in the world.”
The victorious buyer, who describes himself as a “Mac fanatic and all-round geek” on Twitter, has said that he “couldn’t understand why they (Apple) would want to go to court over the issue”, but that ultimately, he wanted to “stand by (his) consumer rights”.