Tech giant Apple has apologised to its customers feeling aggrieved for slowing down of iPhones with older batteries and slashed the price for battery replacements to $29. In India, users of iPhone 6 (or later) can get their out-of-warranty batteries replaced for Rs 2,000 (plus taxes), compared to about Rs 6,500 previously. The Cupertino-based firm will also update its software to give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery.

Apple has been facing consumer uproar and a slew of lawsuits after it admitted to reducing performance of older iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns. "...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,” Apple said in a lengthy apology note on its website.

Apple further said it has “never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades“.

Apple is offering a replacement of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery for USD 29 (compared to USD 79 earlier) for users of iPhone 6 or later. This will commence from late January and will be available worldwide through December 2018.

When contacted, Apple India confirmed that the battery replacement will be available in India for Rs 2,000 (plus taxes). In its note, it said: “batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age” and that factors such as heat can affect performance.

“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,” it said.

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.

Rumours 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.

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