Apple admits iPhone 5S battery problem, replaces phones

Apple has owned up to a banjaxed battery in the new Apple iPhone 5S. The company has acknowledged a manufacturing problem that affects the battery of a small number of the latest iPhones, and pledged to replace your phone if it's afflicted.

"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," Apple spokesperson Teresa Brewer told the told the New York Times. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."

The new 5S and 5C are designed to last for up to 250 hours on standby, 10 hours of calls or video, or 40 hours of listening to music. It's not clear how badly the manufacturing issue affects the battery of affected phones.

I've contacted Apple to find out if iPhone owners in the UK have been affected and whether replacements will be issued over here, but have yet to receive a reply.

The battery bug isn't the only problem for Apple lately. The 5S has suffered from a wonky accelerometer, iMessage packed up after iOS 7, and hackers claim to have cracked the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Still, at least Apple changed things so iOS 7.0.3 stops making you seasick.

Has your iPhone caused you problems? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or recharge your batteries on our Facebook page.