Facing lawsuits and consumer outrage after it said it slowed older iPhones with flagging batteries, Apple Inc is slashing prices for battery replacements. Newslook
Concerned about waiting for weeks to get a discounted replacement battery for your iPhone? Apple says they're available now, although initial supplies may be limited.
The tech giant's announcement speeds up Apple's initial projection that the replacement units, offered at the discounted price of $29, a $50 savings over the regular cost, would not be available until late January.
"We expected to need more time to be ready, but we are happy to offer our customers the lower pricing right way," said Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller, who cautioned that "initial supplies of some replacement batteries may be limited."
Apple also launched a special Internet page for consumers to get more information about iPhone batteries and performance.
Consumers are not happy with Apple's admission that it intentionally slowed down older iPhones to keep up with declining batteries, reports USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham on Talking Tech.
Apple offered the replacements on Thursday after apologizing for slowing down older models of iPhones, starting about a year ago. The company said it used a software update to improve power management during peak workloads and "avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE."
The belated mea culpa came after Apple initially said it believed such performance loss was caused by a combination of factors, including a temporary impact on iPhone performance following updates of the units' operating systems.
However, the California-based company's apology and offer of lower-cost replacement batteries may not satisfy Apple consumers who have filed several federal lawsuits against the tech giant over the issue.
Apple confirmed a theory many users have had for years: the iPhone gets slower with age. The confirmation comes after Reddit users noticed their devices were getting slower as the batteries in their iPhones got weaker. USA TODAY
The legal actions seek-class action status on behalf of all iPhone owners, and are likely to be consolidated into a single case if judges allow them to proceed.
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Follow USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy on Twitter: @kmccoynyc