What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Apple did sue its Canadian recycling contractor, GEEP, in 2020, alleging that nearly 100,000 iPhones meant for destruction were diverted and sold in China. The reported development is that Apple later appeared not to advance the case, which was expected to lapse in January 2025 unless it took further action. Apple has not publicly confirmed why. The leading explanation is an inference: a trial could have put the company’s own device-destruction policy under scrutiny alongside the contractor’s alleged conduct.
What Apple alleged happened
Apple hired GEEP Canada to process returned and recycled electronics. According to reporting based on Apple’s audit and court materials, Apple’s contract required products sent to GEEP to be destroyed rather than resold. Apple alleged that at least 99,975 iPhones were removed from that destruction stream and shipped to China for resale. 9to5Mac’s account of the case describes the allegation and its timeline.
That wording matters. Apple sued GEEP for breach of contract; the available reporting does not establish that a criminal court convicted GEEP of theft. GEEP, in turn, separately sued three former employees it believed were responsible for the diversion. Alleged employee misconduct and the company’s contractual responsibility are related but distinct legal questions.
Apple reportedly sought about C$31 million in damages. The headline figure of almost 100,000 iPhones does not mean every unit was proven in court to be functional, resold, or worth the same amount. It is the quantity Apple’s audit was reported to have identified as diverted.
#1 Best Overall
- ⚡ INSTANT EMERGENCY POWER — Pre-charged and ready to use right out of the box. No cables, no outlets, no waiting. Just plug in and power up when your phone hits 1%.
- 📱 UP TO 50% CHARGE — Enough juice to make calls, send texts, grab an Uber, or navigate your way home. Designed to save you when it matters most.
- ✈️ TSA-COMPLIANT & TRAVEL READY — At 2200mAh, it’s below FAA and TSA carry-on limits. Toss it in your carry-on and forget about it until you need it. For air travel, keep it in your carry-on and not in checked luggage, and always store the charger with the power switch in the OFF position when not in use.
- 🔋 2-YEAR SHELF LIFE — Unlike power banks that die sitting in a drawer, Boostrcharge holds its charge for up to 2 years. Always ready when life throws you a curveball.
- 🔌 USB-C & LIGHTNING OPTIONS — Available for all devices: Lightning for iPhone 14 and older, USB-C for iPhone 15+, Samsung, Google Pixel, and more. Grab a Single, 3-Pack, or 10-Pack to keep everywhere you need backup power.
Did Apple drop the lawsuit?
Not at the outset: Apple filed the case in 2020. In April 2024, news reports said it was due to be automatically dismissed or discontinued in January 2025 unless Apple took steps to move it forward. The available reporting does not establish the final court disposition, so the safest description is that Apple appeared not to pursue the case further or reportedly allowed it to lapse.
There is no confirmed public explanation from Apple in the reporting cited here. A private settlement, a strategic decision, evidentiary or collection concerns, or a choice to stop spending resources on the dispute remain possibilities—not established facts. Nor does the lapse, by itself, prove that Apple admitted wrongdoing or that a court decided the underlying allegations.
Rank #2
- SINGLE USE: Simply plug Boostrcharge in, power up, and dispose responsibly when you're done.
- COMES PRE CHARGED: Instant power, don't stress about having to pre-charge this device.
- EFFICIENT CHARGING: Unlike other single-use chargers, our product will actually charge your phone! (Up to 50%!)
- SAFE CHARGING: Our product is UL and FCC certified and will not damage your device's battery.
- READY FOR EMERGENCIES: Be prepared for the unexpected with Boostrcharge, whether its for hurricane prep or a night out.
Why could continuing the case have been awkward for Apple?
The most compelling explanation suggested by the reporting is reputational. A lawsuit alleging that a contractor violated a destruction requirement could invite questions about why devices were required to be destroyed in the first place. Bloomberg reported that, during the first two years of its relationship with GEEP, Apple sent it more than 530,000 iPhones, 25,000 iPads, and 19,000 Apple Watches, and that the contract required all products sent there to be destroyed. Some devices appeared suitable for resale or refurbishment, according to Bloomberg’s investigation.
Further litigation could have brought documents and testimony about how Apple classified returned devices, whether it evaluated repair or resale before destruction, and how its recycling partners were monitored. That could have shifted attention from alleged diversion by a contractor to Apple’s own end-of-life choices. It is a plausible reputational concern, not a motive Apple has publicly confirmed.
Rank #3
- 【NEW TECHNOLOGY】 Are you still using dirty headphones? Are you still using those bulky cleaning tools? Our cleaner kit is a pen to clean the entire set of Bluetooth earplugs, from the small hole of the earplug to the charging compartment, 360-degree cleaning without dead ends, making your earplugs more durable.
- 【SAFETY MATERIALS】Made of soft materials, cleaner will not damage the earplug components and holes.
- 【3-IN-1 DESIGN】The cleaning kit adopts a separate double-head hidden design to meet a variety of cleaning needs. The metal tip of the cleaning pen is like a pen tip, which can clean the small parts and holes of the earplugs for deep cleaning of crevices and stubborn dirt. There is a soft microfiber brush above the pen tip, which can deeply clean the tiny parts and holes of the earplugs. At the other end of the pen is a soft and lightweight brush that can clean the charging compartment.
- 【WIDE APPLICATION】Pen-shaped design, cleaning kit is lightweight and easy to carry. It can be used anytime and anywhere. Suitable for Bluetooth earbuds, headsets, mobile phone, computer, tablet, camera and other digital products.
- 【EXCELLENT GIFT IDEA】For anyone wearing headphones, this is the best accessory and gift. Help clean hard-to-reach areas or any other corners.
There are also ordinary litigation considerations. A damages claim can be expensive and slow, and a judgment is useful only if it can be collected. The parties might dispute which devices were diverted, who was responsible, the value of each unit, and what losses the contract entitled Apple to recover. Those are general reasons a company might reconsider a lawsuit; the available reporting does not show that any one of them caused Apple’s apparent decision.
Why destroy devices instead of reselling them?
A phone that turns on is not automatically safe or economical to refurbish and resell. It may have a degraded battery, damage, missing parts, unverified replacement components, an account lock, or data that needs secure handling. A resale program also brings quality-control, warranty, and customer-support obligations. Apple could reasonably want control over whether a device bearing its brand enters a secondary market and under what condition.
Rank #4
- Unique Repair Tool Pick: The HOTO precision screwdriver set is a complete mini toolkit, the ultimate sidekick for daily tasks and thrilling travel escapades
- Versatile & Handy: This 24-in-1 screwdriver is a breeze to use for quickly assembling and disassembling all sorts of tiny screws. Ideal for electronics like watches, phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, radios, computers, and game consoles, and it's also a great fit for various gizmos and DIY projects like eyeglasses, toys, alarm clocks, jewelry
- Aesthetics & Durability: The mini screwdriver set boasts a sleek and sleekly polished metal exterior, crafted from high-grade aluminum alloy materials. Plus, its bits are made of tough S2 alloy steel that achieves a whopping 60HRC hardness
- Innovative Magnetic Storage: All 12 double-ended bits are cleverly concealed within the screwdriver handle. When you slide a bit into the magnetic slot, it clicks into place with a satisfying "click" sound, making it a breeze to swap out bits and eliminate the risk of losing them
- Anti-Slip Ergonomic Grip: Our small screwdriver set features a polyhedral surface that feels great in your fingers, it makes one-handed operation effortless and comfortable. Plus, the screwdriver cover is equipped with whisper-quiet bearings, ensuring smooth turns and effortless tightening
Those considerations do not establish that every device sent to GEEP needed destruction. Possible business incentives could include tighter control of refurbished supply and avoiding competition with new products, but the evidence cited here does not establish Apple’s official rationale or intent. A device’s being operational is not proof it was ready for guaranteed resale.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteEnd-of-life handling also has distinct levels: direct reuse, repair or refurbishment, parts harvesting, material recovery, and disposal. Material recovery can make sense for devices that cannot be safely reused. It is not the same environmental outcome as extending a usable device’s life, and the best choice can depend on the unit’s condition and the impacts of repair, shipping, and replacement.
Best Value
- What is it? - Use this high quality aluminum mold to recycle/overhaul a broken, cracked screen.
- COMPATIBILITY Compatible with iPhone 11 Pro only.
- HOW TO USE Put your working and cleaned LCD display into this mold, then add your new outer glass, cover the top part of the mold and screw it tight to apply even pressure to create a refurbished screen easily and correctly.
- PRECISION - Don't waste time and parts, this shape gives you the exact precise alignment for the exact size of your screen.
- QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP - Made by HDZUY, one of the leading manufacturers of molds.
The tension with Apple’s environmental message
Apple currently describes its approach as “Use. Recover. Reuse.” and promotes Daisy, its disassembly robot, as a way to recover materials from iPhones. Apple says Daisy can disassemble 36 iPhone models and process 200 devices an hour. Its stated 2030 goal is carbon neutrality across its business, supply chain, and product life cycle. See Apple’s environmental overview and its 2030 commitment.
That public emphasis on reuse makes a reported destruction requirement look inconsistent, especially if some units could have been refurbished. But the reporting does not prove that all the devices were reusable, that Apple violated environmental law, or that its environmental program is fraudulent. The issue is a credible question about how reuse is weighed against privacy, reliability, control, and materials recovery—and whether that decision is transparent.
What the case does and does not show
- It does show the risks of outsourcing electronics handling: a contract and audit are only as effective as chain-of-custody controls and enforcement.
- It does not show that a court found GEEP criminally liable, that every affected iPhone was fit for resale, or that Apple stopped pursuing the case to conceal its policy.
- It does not establish that China was a reason for the apparent lapse, or that Apple’s disposal practices broke environmental law.
The strongest defensible answer is that Apple’s apparent non-pursuit remains unexplained. Continuing the lawsuit could have delivered damages and accountability, but it also risked turning a contractor dispute into a public examination of why Apple required devices to be destroyed rather than reused. That reputational risk is the leading inference from the reporting—not a confirmed statement of Apple’s motive.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
