Apple battery slowdown under the parliamentary microscope

A parliamentary committee is looking into Apple's battery slowdown scandal, after the company acknowledged secretly slowing down older iPhones which the company said was necessary to avoid unexpected shutdowns related to battery fatigue.

Ontario's Windsor West MP Brian Masse filed a motion to do so after Apple made an apology.

The committee on Industry Science and Technology, of which Masse is also vice chair, will invite Apple officials and stakeholders to Ottawa to discuss the impact the battery slowdown has had on Canadian consumers.

"Informed consent is a basic principle that should be applied in the digital space particularly when we are talking about apps that will affect core functions of any device such as web browsing speed," Masse said in a press release. "Browsing speed is a key feature of any mobile device. iPhone Consumers deserve better."

Many customers had interpreted the move by Appleas a way to fuel demand for newer iPhone models, their suspicions fuelled by the fact that the company didn't initially disclose the slowdowns or its reasons for them.

The company announced that they wouldcut the price of a battery replacement in Canada by $64to $35through next year.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission also are investigating whether Apple Inc. violated securities laws, after the company disclosedthe slow down, Bloomberg reported last week.

The committee hearings will take place in the coming weeks in Ottawa.