[ti:Apple to Allow Users to Turn Off iPhone Slowdowns] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Apple says it will give iPhone users the ability to turn off [00:06.08]a software tool that can slow down device performance. [00:13.12]The change is expected to come this spring with the release [00:18.56]of Apple's latest mobile operating system update, iOS 11.3. [00:27.84]The announcement followed heavy criticism and user anger [00:33.56]when it became public that Apple had secretly been [00:38.20]slowing down operating systems of older iPhones. [00:44.52]The slowdown issue was first pointed out in internet reports. [00:51.40]Apple admitted the practice in December. [00:55.92]In an explanation, the company said it only took the action [01:00.92]to prevent some aging batteries [01:04.16]from failing and completely shutting devices down. [01:10.24]All rechargeable batteries used in mobile devices [01:14.76]become less effective over time. [01:18.56]Certain temperature conditions can also cause a battery to age faster. [01:27.08]Apple said these older batteries could unexpectedly shut down [01:32.64]during times of high energy demand. [01:36.80]It called such shutdowns "unacceptable" [01:40.34]and said that is why the company [01:43.12]took "power management" measures to prevent them. [01:48.72]Many people have long suspected Apple [01:51.89]intentionally slows the performance of older iPhones [01:56.36]in an effort to get users to buy new ones. [02:01.24]Apple has strongly denied this suspicion. [02:06.72]"We have never - and would never - do anything [02:11.20]to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, [02:16.32]or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades," the company said. [02:25.84]Despite this explanation, Apple was criticized for not informing iPhone owners [02:33.08]about the power issues before it decided to slow devices down. [02:40.64]Many owners argued they would have chosen to replace batteries [02:45.44]if they had known the issues beforehand. [02:49.46]Several lawsuits seeking monetary damages from Apple [02:55.76]were also started by iPhone owners. [03:00.40]They owners argued they would not have spent money on new iPhones [03:05.52]if they had known there were other ways to fix slow performance. [03:12.12]In a statement Wednesday, Apple said it had received requests [03:17.56]for information about the issue from U.S. government agencies. [03:24.68]The statement followed a Bloomberg report [03:28.45]that the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission [03:35.00]were looking at whether the company's actions had violated any securities laws. [03:44.16]To answer user concerns, [03:46.48]Apple announced it was offering owners of an iPhone 6 or later [03:52.36]the chance to replace batteries at a reduced cost. [03:58.44]The price to replace a battery was cut from $79 to $29, [04:05.80]with the deal available worldwide through December 2018. [04:12.96]In its announcement about the iOS 11.3 update, [04:17.80]the company said users themselves [04:21.28]will be able to turn off the power management feature. [04:26.00]In addition, a new tool will be added to show iPhone battery health [04:33.32]and suggest when service is needed. [04:37.77]Apple also previewed some other new features to be released [04:44.04]with its iOS 11.3 update this spring. [04:49.32]The update will include several new Animojis. [04:54.88]These are animated characters iPhone X owners can use with their voices [05:02.32]and facial expressions to create videos and messages. [05:08.88]In addition, a new feature in the iOS Health app [05:13.60]is designed to organize user data from various medical facilities in one view. [05:22.16]The Health Records feature can also be used to send messages to patients [05:28.48]about conditions, medicines and laboratory results. [05:35.52]Apple says all medical data is encrypted for user protection. [05:43.20]The iOS 11.3 update also includes a change to Apple Music [05:50.32]the company says makes it easier to play unlimited music videos [05:56.16]without seeing advertisements. [05:59.20]Also, Apple News will include new features [06:03.36]to find and view the most important videos of the day. [06:09.20]Finally, a new tool called Business Chat [06:13.04]will provide a way for users to directly connect [06:17.00]with company help representatives from within the Messages service. [06:23.52]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM