Apple iPhone slowdown case: Company now says "Not done intentionally"

Apple has been facing the music and backlash in the form of lawsuits after it admitted last month that it used software updates to limit the performance of older iPhone models, including the iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone SE and iPhone 7. However, the company had also given the reason behind its actions stating that the iOS updates were sent to prevent random shutdowns of old iPhones with degraded batteries.

But many consumers were outraged especially in South Korea, to say the least. Further, U.S. even decided to probe Apple for possible violations of securities laws over slowing down of older iPhones. However, amidst all these circumstances and people all around the world accusing the company of breaching their trust, the Cupertino-based giant has now stated that it has never done anything "intentionally" to shorten the life of its products.

"As we told our customers in December, 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," CNN reported, quoting an Apple statement.

The goal, according to the company, was to "smooth out" peak power demands and prevent older iPhones from sudden shutdowns as their lithium-ion batteries degrade. But it has all resulted in a disappointing performance for users, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, the company had also later announced that its battery replacement program at a discounted cost will be available from late January through December 2018.

Additionally, Apple has also expressed that in early 2018, it will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance or not.

Having said that, Senator John Thune, a Republican representative from South Dakota, has seemingly criticized the company's lack of communication in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Currently, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Apple for how it disclosed information in software updates that slowed down older iPhones.

Inputs from IANS