Apple gets sued for delivering HD video to older Apple iPhone models

Apple has been sued in San Francisco by an attorney in Florida named Scott Weiselberg, who says that he was tricked into spending a $1 more to rent an HD version of "Big Daddy" even though his version of the Apple iPhone doesn't support HD movies. Despite the fact that the first three versions of the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod touch do not support HD video, Apple made HD the default option when it launched iTunes 8.0 in 2010.

This means that there could be millions of people who paid $4.99 to view an HD version of a movie or television show on a device that doesn't support HD. In his complaint, Weiselberg says that Apple violated consumer protection laws and should compensate him and all of the others who needlessly spent the extra buck for an HD version of the movie or show that they wanted to view.

According to the filing, iTunes could detect if a device plays only Standard Definition, but it claims that Apple sold HD versions on purpose to make the extra money. The filing does not ask for a specific dollar amount, but notes that Apple sold 49 million units of the older models. The filing accuses Apple of fraud, unjust enrichment and violating consumer protection laws. 
  

source: Scribd via GIGaom