Apple has been no stranger to iPod-related consumer lawsuits over the years, having dealt with complaints about scratched Nanos, locked formats, and even its trademark white earbuds.

Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone in January.

But now its seems that owners of some of the more than one million iPhones that have been sold since its June 29 debut are disgruntled. Two recent moves by Apple--a $200 price cut two months after its release and a software update that rendered some iPhones useless--have drawn the legal ire of iPhone owners.

In the first case, New York City resident Dongmei Li sued Apple last week for "price discrimination" brought on by the $200 price cut, a claim that makes some rather creative claims.

According to documents filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Li, who says she bought the $499 4GB model, makes three allegations in the complaint: that early buyers can't resell for as high a profit; that early buyers can't compete with later buyers on the resale market; and that Apple is competing with resellers unfairly.

Li seeks compensatory damages of $1 million, plus punitive damages. Apple officials have not commented on the lawsuit.

In the second allegation against the company, message board activity on Apple'.com and related sites has indicated that a class-action lawsuit could be on the way over Apple's recent software update that rendered some iPhones useless. The move has angered tech-savvy owners of the phone who figured out how to add unauthorized software and even "unlock" it for use on networks other than AT&T, which is the exclusive wireless service provider for the iPhone.

iPhone

The software update "bricked" iPhones that had been altered or unlocked, meaning that it left them as the iPhone almost impervious to any third-party hacks.

The move has rankled some enough to consider filing a lawsuit against the company. A message board user with the handle "myndex" posted the message "Iphone Class Action Lawsuit" on Apple.com, although the message has since been taken down. The post was a query about user's thoughts about suing the company over the software update.

The situation has one obvious solution according to Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock, who told the New York Times this week that the software update was preceded by a warning through iTunes to users of unlocked or altered iPhones.

"The inability to use your phone after making unauthorized modifications isn't covered under the iPhone warranty," Bowcock told the paper. "If the damage was due to use of an unauthorized software application, voiding their warranty, they should purchase a new iPhone."