"Apple denied wrongdoing and settled the nationwide case to avoid the burdens and costs of litigation, court papers show." - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-iphones-settlement-...

They haven't been "caught" doing that; they have been accused of that. Why is it the stupid conspiracy theory which wins the popularity contest, instead of the much more annoying true story - Apple cheaped out on batteries which couldn't provide enough current to run the phone as they aged? Or, just as factual, Apple slowed down the phone to keep it working longer on the same hardware thus making people avoid having to buy new phones.