Apple apologises to owners of older iPhones and slashes battery price

CALIFORNIA - Technology giant Apple on Thursday apologised to its iPhone users for slowing down the performance of older iPhone devices and said it would slash the prices of replacement batteries for some of its handsets.

This move by Apple came after many iPhone users filed lawsuits against the American tech giant.

“We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologise,” Apple said in a message to customers on its website.

“We’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible. We’re proud that Apple products are known for their durability, and for holding their value longer than our competitors’ devices.”

To overcome this issue Apple offered the discounted price for an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement from $79 to $29 for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January through December 2018.

The company said it also would issue a software update to make it easier for customers to see if an ageing battery is affecting performance.

“As always, our team is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age,” the statement said.

The controversy erupted last week after Apple acknowledged a feature to “smooth out” spikes in demand for power to prevent iPhone 6 models from shutting down due to the cold or weak batteries.

Rumors had persisted for years at tech news websites devoted to Apple products and among fans of the company’s products that iPhone performance was being intentionally slowed, perhaps to push users to buy newer models.

Apple’s latest statement said that “we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.”

But it noted that “batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age” and that factors such as heat can affect performance.