(Telecompaper) Apple will pay up to USD 500 million to settle a case in the US, where consumers accused the company in a class action lawsuit of intentionally slowing down their older iPhones, Reuters reported. The preliminary settlement still requires approval by the US district judge in San Jose, California. It calls for Apple to pay plaintiffs USD 25 per phone, a number which may be adjusted up or down depending on how many iPhones are eligible, with a minimum payment of USD 310 million. Apple denied the accusations but settled the nationwide case to avoid the burdens and costs of litigation, court papers show.