Back in January 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple for the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities that affected a wide range of processors from Intel and ARM, including those used in Apple's Macs and iOS devices.

Meltdown and Spectre were hardware-based vulnerabilities designed to take advantage of the speculative execution mechanism of a CPU, allowing hackers to gain access to sensitive information.

meltdownspectre
Apple quickly mitigated Spectre and Meltdown with software patches, but a class action complaint was filed against Apple alleging that Apple knew about the design defects in June 2017 and did not more promptly inform the public.

The complaint also suggested that Apple would not be able to adequately patch Meltdown and Spectre without slowing the performance of its processors by between five and 30 percent, a claim that turned out to be untrue.

As pointed out by AppleInsider, the class action lawsuit against Apple was today dismissed for "lack of standing and failure to state a claim."

According to the ruling, the plaintiffs in the case were not able to allege injury because none of their devices were accessed via Spectre or Meltdown and no degradation in performance was personally experienced by the plaintiffs.

Furthermore, the court said that even if some devices were affected by Meltdown and Spectre as evidenced in some of the benchmarks submitted by the plaintiffs, it does not suggest that all users experienced slower performance, nor were the plaintiffs able to prove that their iOS devices diminished in value.

Given these reasons, Apple's motion to dismiss was granted, though the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are able to provide an amended complaint by January 24, 2019.

Top Rated Comments

SecuritySteve Avatar
85 months ago
Good. It's not Apple's fault they adhered to industry standards regarding vulnerability disclosure. These vulnerabilities were overhyped and still are perceived as far worse than they actually are.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doctor Q Avatar
85 months ago
Let's sue Apple for announcing new products, which causes those of us who bought their previous products to no longer have the latest models, and to lack any new features they've added. This causes untold pain and suffering, not to mention damage to our reputations among peers. We deserve to be compensated!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
m4mario Avatar
85 months ago
When there is no basis for the case and the plaintiffs are merely trying to take advantage of the legal system to make money, the plantiffs, or at least the lawyers must face a fine. Repetition should face jail time. we can't let people waste the courts time like this.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Starship67 Avatar
85 months ago
Let's sue Apple for announcing new products, which causes those of us who bought their previous products to no longer have the latest models, and to lack any new features they've added. This causes untold pain and suffering, not to mention damage to our reputations among peers. We deserve to be compensated!
I know your joking. The way some of the members on this forum act they believe that. lol
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
85 months ago
When there is no basis for the case and the plaintiffs are merely trying to take advantage of the legal system to make money, the plantiffs, or at least the lawyers must face a fine. Repetition should face jail time. we can't let people waste the courts time like this.
The lawyers and plaintiffs that started this stupid lawsuit should be sued/fined …. for wasting resources of the courts.
What are you guys talking about? No resources or time were wasted.

This case was filed about a year ago, during which time it sat with pretty much no meaningful action other than being consolidated with other cases. Then Apple filed a motion to dismiss, plaintiffs responded, an oral hearing was held that lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes, and the Judge issued an 9-page mostly-boilerplate older dismissing the case.

All in, this case probably used 1.5 hours of Judge time and 3 hours of clerk time. It was efficiently handled. This is an example showing that the system works. (of course there are examples of where it doesn't, but this isn't it at all, not even close).

If Apple wants, they can be the ones to further burden the courts time by seeking costs, but I doubt they will. I bet Apple's legal fees for this one motion were ~$10k, only because they probably hired a big expensive firm that threw a few associates at problem. The same outcome could have been achieved from a small firm for under $5k. It's not worth their time to seek costs.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
85 months ago
Maybe some of the other nonsensical suits against apple will be dismissed as well.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...