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Apple Launches 'Touch Disease' Repair Program For iPhone 6 Plus (macrumors.com)
Apple has ignored one of the biggest problems plaguing iPhone 6 Plus devices -- until now. The company today launched a new "Touch Disease" repair program for the iPhone 6 Plus, finally addressing complaints about a hardware defect that causes the display of the devices to become unresponsive to touch, or less responsive overall. If you have an iPhone 6 Plus that is affected by this defect, you will be able to have your device fixed for a service price of $149. You will be reimbursed by Apple if you paid more than $149 to have your device fixed before the repair program was implemented. MacRumors provides some extra details: Complaints about the iPhone 6 Plus touchscreen issue started in August, after iFixit published a video highlighting the bug and dubbed it "Touch Disease." Touch Disease presents as a gray flickering bar at the top of the screen and a display that becomes unresponsive or less responsive to touch. The problem is believed to be caused by the touchscreen controller chips soldered to the logic board of the phone, making repairs difficult. Third-party repair outlets speculated that the issue could be linked to the same structural design flaw that caused the major "Bendgate" controversy, and Apple's suggestion that it is caused by repeated physical damage seems to confirm that. Customers who have an iPhone 6 Plus with Multi-Touch issues can visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple retail store to see if they qualify for the $149 repair fee.
Paying to fix a defect?? and $150 USD to boot? That's more than many android phones...
It's a design flaw. Watch this video, jumps to 2:27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJW140kLCY#t=2m27s
For those who don't know, there is already an ongoing class action lawsuit in the works:
http://bgr.com/2016/08/31/ipho...
And if you heard something about bendgate or about it being a problem with people who dropped their phones, just know that there has been multiple reported cases of phones that never suffered any physical damages, and that were never put inside tight back pockets and whatnot that also had the defect.
It usually happens overtime. Solder balls from a specific chip gets loose or cracks, which then causes the issue.
They dont backfill the BGA chip so it freaking cracks solder balls. They should fix the phones for free.
Mine started having it, so I did the online trick of a reverse bend and then took it to the apple store for a trade in. got full value because it was perfect looking and functioned perfectly at that moment.
Now I dont put my 7plus in a pocket at all. a holster or in a jacket inside pocket. no pants pockets ever
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Lawyer here.
The warranty does not apply indefinitely off the bat. The company has to extend the warranty to cover the specific defect (see the airbag recalls by all major manufacturers as an example). They usually do this because a threat of lawsuit is going to cost more than to repair the defects (if X + Y > Z then we settle). Right now the threat is not large, especially with the iphone 7 out. A lot of people just decided to upgrade. However as waspleg noted, there are lawyers who are salivating at the mouth. This is obviously a design flaw that was mentioned within the first year of the iphone 6 release. If they can get enough people to show they had issues in the first 2 years this can easily become a lawsuit.
However, if it reaches class action status, anyone who pays the $149 will ultimately get $20 back for being part of the class, the rest of iphone 6 owners will likely get back $5-$10 in the end. Apple will still need to shell out all of the money they should have paid in the beginning to fix the issue, so while it's lose-lose for Apple and the Consumer, it's still a net positive because Apple will be motivated to not do play these shenanigans in the future because not only does it hurt their wallet, it hurts their brand.
Well, that's a typical lawyer response, meaning it's not a response at all.
That's because the law is not an exact science, it's usually a matter of opinion, just like accounting or union grievances. Even when "the law is clear" it's usually a gray area, especially torts. Trying to get a formal answer is like asking at what point something stops being hot and starts being cold.
lucm, indeed.