(Xinhua file photo)

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. top tech company Apple Inc. on Thursday apologized for slowing down the performance of old-version iPhones with older batteries amid lawsuits and consumer outrage.

"We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize," the Silicon Valley-based multinational tech company said in a statement.

Last week, Apple admitted that it made changes in its software a year ago to slow down the maximum performance of iPhones with older batteries so as to avoid a sudden shutdown of the smartphone.

The unannounced move by Apple has aroused anger among some Apple customers, who regarded Apple's secret handling of iPhones with older batteries as a trick to force them to buy newer but more expensive Apple devices.

Apple is facing multiple lawsuits from at least seven iPhone users who were unhappy about Apple's intentional move to slow down their phones due to the aging batteries of their devices.

They claimed that if they had known their batteries were to blame for the slowdown, they would have replaced the batteries instead of buying a new phone.

As a gesture of goodwill to quell the anger of its users, Apple said it will cut 50 U.S. dollars off the out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement for the next year, so that anyone with an iPhone 6 can have a new battery replacement for merely 29 dollars starting late January 2018.