UPDATED 12.31.2017
Apple has apologized for slowing down older iPhones after customers accused the firm of trying to force them into buying newer models.
Apple admitted it had "downclocked" older models' central processing units (CPU) but said it did so to reduce the strain on dated batteries and stop the devices from unexpectedly shutting down.
It came after years of speculation from Apple customers that their older handsets were being slowed down in a bid to entice them into an upgrade.
Amid a wave of class action lawsuits over the "deceptive, immoral, and unethical" phone slowing, Apple has issued an apology and vowed to be more transparent with customers over the capacity of iPhone batteries.
In a post on their website, it said: "We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologise.
"There's been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we're making.
"First and foremost, 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.
"Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that."
Apple said the slowdown experienced by owners of older phones was exacerbated by the "chemical ageing of the batteries".
It also announced that it would cut the price of a battery replacement for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later - and not covered by the Apple Care maintenance plan - from $79 to $29, starting NOW and ending in December 2018.
Apple is NOW replacing batteries on iPhone 6 smartphones or later models for $29. You can get it done at your local Apple Store now.
Something stinks badly at Apple and it's called greed, dishonesty, and evil.
Have you noticed that your iphones have become slower in the way they operate? It's not your imagination because Apple has disguised a recent IOS software upgrade to deliberately slow down the operation of all the functions on these phones.
On Wednesday, December 20, 2017 consumers' worst suspicions were confirmed, as the multinational tech company admitted to implementing a feature in software updates for the iPhone 6, 6S and SE, as well as the iPhone 7 via IOS 11.2, that impedes the device's performance if its battery is older, has a low charge or has grown cold. Apple also indicated that it plans to include this feature in future iPhones.
Tech analysts and angry customers have reported in recent days that operating system updates had caused older iPhones to slow considerably, with some suggesting that Apple could be using the tactic to encourage fans to buy new phones.
“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices," a spokesperson for Apple said in a statement.
This self serving statement was only released by Apple when they were outed by multiple users on REDDIT with proof that this was happening. Otherwise Apple would have never said a word about this crippling of their phones.
Apple has always deliberately used a proprietary battery that cannot be replaced by consumers and must be replaced by them or other repair vendors at a high cost compared to other cell phone manufacturers that have simple user friendly replacement batteries that anyone can install.
Their dubious statement above about the "best experience for customers" is a lie and all they care about is making money off of their customers, not what is in the best interest of the consumer.
The Apple iphone is a great product but they have created victims of consumer fraud by their choice to slow down their phones. You pay a premium cost for the optimum functioning of a device and end up with a slow turtle that crawls. Then they think we are stupid enough to go and buy a brand new phone from them because they have made our older phone deliberately obsolete.
Thankfully, upset Apple IPhone users have now filed Class Action Lawsuits against Apple for their deceptive and coercive behavior.
Apple is just another corporation that is literally rotten to the core and believes that they can do anything they want to screw their customers.
We will see about that. Oh, and Samsung has some great phones if you decide to tell Apple to screw themselves.
