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Apple Launches 'Touch Disease' Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus

Val-kyrie said:
It happened to me multiple times when I had a 6+. I had at least three refurbs, all of which exhibited touch disease. I received my last refurb on last day of my AppleCare. I sold it a week later and purchased an SE.

I learned two things: 1) I love the form factor of the SE and 2) I will never buy another high priced gen 1 product from Apple.
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Not just Apple, any first generation product generally have defects.
 
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akash.nu said:
I won't say so. Google tries out way more new tech than Apple. Apple implements older tech in a user friendly experience.
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Okay, if you say so. I don't even know if you know what you're talking about though. Google wasn't considered a hardware company till Pixel (smartphone) came out and that wasn't even a year ago (and we're talking about the iPhone on this thread). Most of its services that people actually use are 'free' so of course they have more leeway in terms of being able to experiment with new technology.

If you look at MBP, every update came with new technology, from Retina screen, built-in speakers, battery, TouchBar, keyboard, USB-C. So I don't know either what you mean by older tech. What about AirPods? The ARM chip inside 2016 MBP? I can go on. And if you look at operating system, macOS Sierra has seen some drastic under-the-hood changes, PDFKit is one. Remember the network issues in Yosemite? That's because they were trying to implement a new network service. And now a flurry of new tech in High Sierra. So "older tech"? Not sure about that. You must not be following Apple's development very closely for the past five years.
 
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iMacC2D said:
I decided to look into this further.

The problem is the most common defects aren't necessarily associated with trialling new technologies in generation one products.

The iPhone 6 Plus Touch IC problem came about because of an issue with board flex, BGA bonding and chip underfill. There was nothing special about the packaging or placement of this chip from any other IC in recent years, in any device, including chips that Apple ships and has relied on for years, like the SMC, MUX Chips and even CPU and GPU Packages. We've known for years that BGA chips in high-stress areas, be it thermal or physical stress, should use some form of underfill to brace the electrical connections between the chip and the board. Apple learned this first hand with the GeForce 8600M GT issues in the MacBook Pro. We've known for years that placing chips and electrical connections on a thin circuit board, mounted to a thin and flat plane of aluminium and subject to flexing, will over time cause those connections to crack as the metals work harden and become brittle. And yet, all of these factors were overlooked, and this Touch IC problem came to be.

There are multiple other examples as well. The iMac stand mechanism issues came about because plastic composite washers were used to secure load bearing springs under tension, while the mechanism itself was made of rigid steel. The AMD Radeon Graphics issue in the 2011 model iMac (27" Gen. 3) and MacBook Pro (15" Gen. 5) came about because of issues with heat dissipation. The MacBook Pro 2012 (13" Gen. 5) Hard Drive Flex Cable issue remains unresolved, and it's a cable, one of the most basic electrical components in any machine.

And yet, some Apple pioneered technologies seem to work flawlessly. The Retina Display initially experienced some issues with LG panels, but these are relatively minor and later resolved. Apple developed ARM CPUs for both Mac and iOS have been mostly reliable. Force Touch has been flawless on the Mac.

Where these issues seem to develop aren't in new technologies that Apple develops, but in technologies that are already several years old and have already been proven time and time again. As a matter of fact, most issues seem to be attributable to one of three causes - Packaging and Component Placement, Space Constraints and Cost Reductions in Manufacturing. Sometimes it's a combination of the three, and the iPhone 6 Plus is potentially one such perfect storm. The placement of the chip on the board made it susceptible to flex and physical stresses, the thin profile of the phone made it impractical to have any kind of reinforcement behind the board to prevent board flexing, and the omission of underfill from the chip made it more susceptible to those stresses than other equivalent chips.

And none of those three causes are exclusive to generation one products, or even new technologies. They're limitations of our resources and manufacturing processes that manufacturers - including Apple - have known for years, or even decades. We've known how to solder a chip to a board, and prevent it from cracking, for a long time. Apple and IBM researched this extensively for the PowerPC 970 in the Power Mac G5 - a much larger, much hotter, much more complex chip on a much larger board - in 2004. Somehow that research and the lessons learned from it fell to the wayside for a touchscreen controller in the iPhone 6 Plus.

These issues happen. No company is infallible. But pioneering new, innovative technologies isn't the reason these issues occur in generation one Apple products. Besides, Apple has been manufacturing computers for 41 years now, they're no stranger to the reliability perils that come with a generation one product.

But hey, those are just my findings. What can I say - In the field of electronics, I like researching this stuff.
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Well said.!
 
iMacC2D said:
And yet, some Apple pioneered technologies seem to work flawlessly. The Retina Display initially experienced some issues with LG panels, but these are relatively minor and later resolved.
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The Retina Display wasn't 'minor' at all. Funny how a guy who claims to love researching this kind of stuff can't be bothered to google threads detailing how users were affected by image retention. It was so bad that Geniuses would do exchange right away without asking questions once they confirm your panel is made by LG. It was so bad that exchange would very often be made for free even if the rMBP was slightly out of the 1-year warranty.

I wasn't knocking Apple for trying out new technology either. Just pointing out the fact that they try out new tech more often than others and that akash.nu doesn't know what he's talking about. Using Google as a rebuttal just shows how ill-informed he is.

I appreciate your long-winded but informative explication though. Except I wasn't talking about iPhone 6+ in particular and it reads like a fanboy making excuses for the company he worships. A defect is a defect and you should check your definition of 'technology' before you start writing your thesis. It just means "a new way of doing things". It could be that the material is the same but they attempt to fit the casing in a novel way and that causes problems down the production chain. In case you don't understand how this is relevant, I'm explaining to you why the iMac stand issue is also due to 'new tech'.

It's a cardinal sin in writing any exposition that the author doesn't even try to define things clearly. I think you should take that to heart.
 
lysingur said:
The Retina Display wasn't 'minor' at all. Funny how a guy who claims to love researching this kind of stuff can't be bothered to google threads detailing how users were affected by image retention. It was so bad that Geniuses would do exchange right away without asking questions once they confirm your panel is made by LG. It was so bad that exchange would very often be made for free even if the rMBP was slightly out of the 1-year warranty.

I wasn't knocking Apple for trying out new technology either. Just pointing out the fact that they try out new tech more often than others and that akash.nu doesn't know what he's talking about. Using Google as a rebuttal just shows how ill-informed he is.

I appreciate your long-winded but informative explication though. Except I wasn't talking about iPhone 6+ in particular and it reads like a fanboy making excuses for the company he worships. A defect is a defect and you should check your definition of 'technology' before you start writing your thesis. It just means "a new way of doing things". It could be that the material is the same but they attempt to fit the casing in a novel way and that causes problems down the production chain. In case you don't understand how this is relevant, I'm explaining to you why the iMac stand issue is also due to 'new tech'.

It's a cardinal sin in writing any exposition that the author doesn't even try to define things clearly. I think you should take that to heart.
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Mate, all I'm gonna say is look up where google is investing. Putting a higher resolution screen is hardly "new" tech. Well, might be for you but in the world of technology it's really nowhere comparable to what google does on a regular basis.

I love Apple products and I'm completely invested in their ecosystem but I give credits where it's due. Apple presents technologies to consumers in a easier way but that doesn't mean they try new tech. Also tech doesn't mean only hardware.
 
akash.nu said:
Mate, all I'm gonna say is look up where google is investing. Putting a higher resolution screen is hardly "new" tech. Well, might be for you but in the world of technology it's really nowhere comparable to what google does on a regular basis.
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Again, you don't have a clue what you're talking about. You think Retina is just a "higher resolution" screen? LMFAO. So I guess by your logic all the processors since 8086 are just "faster clock speed" CPUs then?

What does Google have to do with anything? Just because Google is investing a lot of money in R&D doesn't negate the fact that Apple likes to incorporate new tech into its products. What part of it don't you understand? And was I knocking you for asserting that Apple's products are more user-friendly? No.

How long have you been an Apple user anyway? I listed at least six new tech that are in rMBP 2016 alone, not to mention their other products. AirPods are essentially designed from the ground up. Seriously, mate? Go home.
 
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My 6 Plus lasted almost two years before touch disease kicked in. I dropped my phone OFTEN.

Just had it "repaired" yesterday. They gave me a refurbed 6s Plus and sent me on my way.

Not a bad deal, all told.

-SS
 
Well done! That's a pretty good compromise.

Mine had it, was replaced under AppleCare 5 months in, and worked flawlessly ever since.

When I got bored of a white screen on a gold back, I replaced it with a black screen (which killed Touch ID) and had some minor problems. But that thing has been a beast. Now loving 7+ in Jet Black on iOS 10. Perfect phone!
 
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