Yes, it's real and it's plain funny that you discredit simple facts in a case as obvious and with as many data points as Apple.
From the 2005 iPods settlement [0], to the 113 Mio USD Batterygate [1], to Flexgate [2] where Apple only escaped settlement due to plausible deniability.
To quote from Batterygate:
> Apple has agreed to pay millions of dollars to 34 states over its controversial previous practice of deliberately slowing down older iPhones to extend their battery life.
> [...]
> Many believed it was an effort to encourage users to buy new iPhones.
I agree on all your "PS" points, where we seem to differ is that reading is a virtue and not knowing something because you haven't heard of it doesn't constitute a conspiracy theory.
These obviously are’t planned obsolescence though.
Flexgate is a manufacturing error, that they handled in a consumer hostile way
Batterygate, was an arguably misguided way to support outdated models - prioritising one goal (battery life) over another (speed)
The iPod thing I’ll admit I know nothing about.
It sounds like, for you, planned obsolescence is defined as any instance where a product isn’t manufactured perfectly or degardes over time, regardless of whether it was planned. For me, planned obsolescence should contain at least a hint of planning.
Planed obsolescence is not a conspiracy. Apple specifically has been proven to sneakily add "silently slow down the hardware" to their updates. But there's examples of planned obsolescence abound.
PS The Earth isn’t flat. We did go to the Moon. Vaccines don’t cause autism.