After a hostile reaction to Apple Inc slowing the batteries on some older iPhones, the company has apologised and reduced the cost of replacing batteries in certain models.
The move by Apple responded to an uproar from iPhone users after news of the battery problems stoked concerns the company was unfairly nudging consumers to upgrade.
"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."
Class-action lawsuits are being considered around the world including the United States, France, Israel and South Korea.
Australians are also investigating their legal options.
"iPhone users deserve to understand what's happened here, they should be aware of all these changes and the impact of changes upon the use of their phone and the functionability of their phone," Jan Saddler from Shine Lawers said.
"Compensation in this case would be payable in circumstances where people have gone and purchased a new phone, when the solution might have been, for example to simply replace an existing battery."
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Apple also says it will cut the price of a battery replacement by $US50 ($A70) to $US29 ($A41), starting in late January through December 2018.
It previously cost $US79 ($A111) for those who didn't purchase the Apple Care maintenance plan.
The company said it also would issue a software update to make it easier for customers to see if an aging 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.
Technology expert, Djuro Sen does not believe this revelation will hurt the tech giant.
"They've made a lot of changes to the phone," Mr Sen told SBS News.
"The headphone jack was supposed to be the iPhone killer, people don't care. The 30-pin connector was supposed to be the iPhone killer, they don't care.
"They forgave Apple, so I think they'll forgive Apple about this as well."
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.
Apple said a software update last year "manages the maximum performance of some system components when needed to prevent a shutdown" and that "in some cases users may experience longer launch times for apps and other reductions in performance".
- with AFP wires
