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Apple Admits To Purposely Slowing Down Older iPhones

CUPERTINO (KPIX 5) -- Apple has finally admitted that it slows down its older iPhones on purpose.

Apple users have complained about it for years and it turns out, the rumors are true.

Apple just admitted it tweaked its operating system to slow certain tasks, to prevent older iPhone batteries from suddenly shutting down, a problem that users complained about earlier this year.

The confession comes after a blog post proved older iPhones deteriorating on newer operating systems.

Tech reporter David Needle explained that there is "a technical reason for it, but that doesn't make it right."

"So what Apple is saying in their defense is that as the battery ages it can hurt the iPhone itself. It might lock up, it might do other things, so in order to prevent that from happening they're purposely throttling down the performance so as not to strain the battery."

Needle said he would be surprised if Apple isn't the defendant in a class-action lawsuit soon.

"You're basically not being upfront about how performance can degrade. And millions of people have bought new phones for that very reason…I think they're going to have to do something to restore consumer confidence."

He suggests Apple offer rebates or make it easy for consumers to buy new batteries.

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