Stock market regulators are examining Apple's failure to disclose the slowing of older iPhones, US media reports. Several lawsuits are pending after the firm admitted it intentionally reduced the speed of some devices.
The US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether the smartphone maker violated financial services laws, the two publications said.
Forced to apologize
In December, Apple apologized for the slowdown after a blogger's tests revealed the secretive practice, which happened when older phones automatically received a software update in early 2017.
From a 'hunk of chunk' to feature-heavy elegance
The introduction of Apple's iPhone 10 years ago was certainly a breakthrough. But it's equally astonishing how the phone has matured within just a decade, with the latest models making the original one look primitive.
Image: DW/M.Bösch
The original
By today's standards, the original iPhone — presented by Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007 — looks OK, but certainly not like a must-have. From today's perspective, some tech experts have even called it a 'primitive brick.' A grave injustice?
Image: picture alliance/AP Images/P. Sakuma
Painfully slow
The first iPhone ran on a data transmission technology called "Edge," a version of 2G wireless. It was really slow - it would have taken you roughly eight minutes to send a 5MB file - with today's 4G LTE it takes under four seconds.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Apple
'App-solutely' unthinkable?
There was no App Store when the iPhone hit markets worldwide. It only opened in 2008 via an update to iTunes after Steve Jobs finally agreed to let customers use the software distribution platform to personalize their smartphones.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Duenzl
Spartan text messages
Back in 2007, iPhones were unable to send a picture together with a plain text message. Apple's modern iMessage service allows users to not only send text, but also photos, videos, contact information and a lot more.
Image: Fotolia/Pavel Ignatov
Picture it!
First-generation iPhones had relatively weak cameras, "boasting" a mere 2-megapixels. And they couldn't record any videos - imagine that today! Capturing high-resolution pictures and videos is child's play for the iPhone7 pictured above.
Image: Reuters/B. Diefenbach
Features galore
Needless to say, in 2007 iPhones did not have a notification center. There was no Siri around or any other personal digital assistant. There wasn't even a turn-by-turn directions app - all relatively recent additions to modern iPhones.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. H. Young
Steady evolution
Modern iPhones brim with features that the developers of the prototype could only dream of. Nevertheless, Apple will need to add even more exciting things to keep sales figures from falling further (sales were down 5.3 percent in Q3/2016 year on year).
Image: Reuters/B. Diefenbach
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The company said the slowdown helped to extend the performance of the phone, which uses less power when running at slower speeds. It insisted the slowdown helped prevent unexpected shutdowns caused by a low battery charge.
The revelations led to Apple being accused by French investigators of incorporating planned obsolescence into its technology, which it denied.
It promised to release a software update later in the year that allows users to switch off the slowing feature. It also planned to offer discounts to replace the batteries in some handsets.
Lining up for legal action
Apple also faces a slew of lawsuits in the US and Russia that allege the company aimed to encourage sales of newer models by letting consumers think their slowing handsets needed replacing, rather than just the battery.
iFans not buying Apple's excuse
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Investors are eagerly awaiting Apple's quarterly earnings release on Thursday, which will likely include the latest iPhone sales figures.
Concern is building that the California-based company is selling fewer of its iconic iPhone X handsets than previously expected, after reports suggested production of its latest phone was being halved.
Apple was previously investigated by the US Department of Justice in 2012 over the price of digital book downloads. Two years earlier, the iPhone maker reached a settlement with investigators over employee anti-poaching agreements between itself and other tech firms.
