Apple Inc defrauded iPhone users by slowing devices without warning to compensate for poor battery performance, according to eight lawsuits filed in various federal courts in the week since the company opened up about the year-old software change.

The tweak may have led iPhone owners to misguided attempts to resolve issues over the last year, the lawsuits contend.

All the lawsuits - filed in U.S. District Courts in California, New York and Illinois - seek class-action to represent potentially millions of iPhone owners nationwide.

A similar case was lodged in an Israeli court on Monday, the newspaper Haaretz reported.

Apple did not respond to an email seeking comment on the filings.

The company acknowledged last week for the first time in detail that operating system updates released since &quot;last year&quot; for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE and iPhone 7 included a feature &quot;to smooth out&quot; power supply from batteries that are cold, old or low on charge.

Phones without the adjustment would shut down abruptly because of a precaution designed to prevent components from getting fried, Apple said.

The disclosure followed a Dec. 18 analysis by Primate Labs, which develops an iPhone performance measuring app, that identified blips in processing speed and concluded that a software change had to be behind them.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/apple-might-be-slowing-down-old-iphones-27316" target="_blank">Apple might be slowing down old iPhones</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-admits-slowing-down-older-iphones-27401" target="_blank">Apple admits to slowing down older iPhones</a>

One of the lawsuits, filed Thursday in San Francisco, said that &quot;the batteries&#39; inability to handle the demand created by processor speeds&quot; without the software patch was a defect.

&quot;Rather than curing the battery defect by providing a free battery replacement for all affected iPhones, Apple sought to mask the battery defect,&quot; according to the complaint.

The plaintiff in that case is represented by attorney Jeffrey Fazio, who represented plaintiffs in a $53-million settlement with Apple in 2013 over its handling of iPhone warranty claims.

The problem now seen is that users over the last year could have blamed an aging computer processor for app crashes and sluggish performance - and chose to buy a new phone - when the true cause may have been a weak battery that could have been replaced for a fraction of the cost, some of the lawsuits state.

&quot;If it turns out that consumers would have replaced their battery instead of buying new iPhones had they known the true nature of Apple&#39;s upgrades, you might start to have a better case for some sort of misrepresentation or fraud,&quot; said Rory Van Loo, a Boston University professor specializing in consumer technology law.

But Chris Hoofnagle, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Law &amp; Technology, said in an email that Apple may not have done wrong.

&quot;We still haven&#39;t come to consumer protection norms&quot; around aging products, Hoofnagle said. Pointing to a device with a security flaw as an example, he said, &quot;the ethical approach could include degrading or even disabling functionality.&quot;

The lawsuits seek unspecified damages in addition to, in some cases, reimbursement. A couple of the complaints seek court orders barring Apple from throttling iPhone computer speeds or requiring notification in future instances.

The lawsuits -- filed in district courts in California, New York and Illinois -- seek class-action to represent potentially millions of iPhone owners across the the US

Apple Inc defrauded iPhone users by slowing devices without warning to compensate for poor battery performance, according to eight lawsuits filed in various federal courts in the week since the company opened up about the year-old software change. The tweak may have led iPhone owners to misguided attempts to resolve issues over the last year, the lawsuits contend. All the lawsuits - filed in U.S. District Courts in California, New York and Illinois - seek class-action to represent potentially millions of iPhone owners nationwide. A similar case was lodged in an Israeli court on Monday, the newspaper Haaretz reported. Apple did not respond to an email seeking comment on the filings. The company acknowledged last week for the first time in detail that operating system updates released since "last year" for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE and iPhone 7 included a feature "to smooth out" power supply from batteries that are cold, old or low on charge. Phones without the adjustment would shut down abruptly because of a precaution designed to prevent components from getting fried, Apple said. The disclosure followed a Dec. 18 analysis by Primate Labs, which develops an iPhone performance measuring app, that identified blips in processing speed and concluded that a software change had to be behind them. Also read: Apple might be slowing down old iPhones Also read: Apple admits to slowing down older iPhones One of the lawsuits, filed Thursday in San Francisco, said that "the batteries' inability to handle the demand created by processor speeds" without the software patch was a defect. "Rather than curing the battery defect by providing a free battery replacement for all affected iPhones, Apple sought to mask the battery defect," according to the complaint. The plaintiff in that case is represented by attorney Jeffrey Fazio, who represented plaintiffs in a $53-million settlement with Apple in 2013 over its handling of iPhone warranty claims. The problem now seen is that users over the last year could have blamed an aging computer processor for app crashes and sluggish performance - and chose to buy a new phone - when the true cause may have been a weak battery that could have been replaced for a fraction of the cost, some of the lawsuits state. "If it turns out that consumers would have replaced their battery instead of buying new iPhones had they known the true nature of Apple's upgrades, you might start to have a better case for some sort of misrepresentation or fraud," said Rory Van Loo, a Boston University professor specializing in consumer technology law. But Chris Hoofnagle, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, said in an email that Apple may not have done wrong. "We still haven't come to consumer protection norms" around aging products, Hoofnagle said. Pointing to a device with a security flaw as an example, he said, "the ethical approach could include degrading or even disabling functionality." The lawsuits seek unspecified damages in addition to, in some cases, reimbursement. A couple of the complaints seek court orders barring Apple from throttling iPhone computer speeds or requiring notification in future instances.

Apple faces lawsuits after admitting it slows down old iPhones

Apple on Tuesday rejected allegations from Russia&#39;s state competition watchdog it may have been involved in fixing prices for iPhones, saying resellers set their own prices. 
 
Apple reacted a day after Russia&#39;s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said it had opened a case into the allegations after a consumer had pointed out that identical prices had been set for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, which appeared in Russia in October 2015, at 16 major resellers. 
 
Apple, in emailed comments, said it did not oblige Russian resellers to fix prices for its products. 
 
&quot;Resellers set their own prices for the Apple products they sell in Russia and around the world,&quot; the company&#39;s press office said. 
 
FAS said it was looking into the idea that Apple had somehow obliged Russian resellers to treat its recommended product prices as mandatory. It said an investigation had shown that retailers had set identical prices and kept them at that level for a certain time period, including for other models. 
 
FAS has the power to fine firms it finds guilty of price-fixing. 
 
(Reuters)

The Russian state watchdog had opened a case after a consumer pointed out identical prices had been set for the 6s and 6s Plus models

Apple on Tuesday rejected allegations from Russia's state competition watchdog it may have been involved in fixing prices for iPhones, saying resellers set their own prices. Apple reacted a day after Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said it had opened a case into the allegations after a consumer had pointed out that identical prices had been set for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, which appeared in Russia in October 2015, at 16 major resellers. Apple, in emailed comments, said it did not oblige Russian resellers to fix prices for its products. "Resellers set their own prices for the Apple products they sell in Russia and around the world," the company's press office said. FAS said it was looking into the idea that Apple had somehow obliged Russian resellers to treat its recommended product prices as mandatory. It said an investigation had shown that retailers had set identical prices and kept them at that level for a certain time period, including for other models. FAS has the power to fine firms it finds guilty of price-fixing. (Reuters)

Apple dismisses iPhone price-fixing allegations in Russia

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