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...and when the 6s start falling apart iPhone 7 orders will skyrocket.
I mean what will the owners do, buy that android junk?

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As the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus approach their second birthday, a growing number of users are suffering from what appears to be a latent manufacturing issue that presents as a gray flickering bar at the top of the screen and a display that's unresponsive or less responsive to touch.

In a new blog post and video, repair site iFixit says a number of third-party repair outlets have seen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models affected by the bug, which appears to be very common. STS Telecom owner Jason Villmer says he sees faulty iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models multiple times a week, while another repair tech in Louisiana sees up to 100 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices that don't respond well to touch.

iFixit is calling the problem "Touch Disease," and says Apple appears to be aware of the issue based on dozens of complaints on Apple's support forum, but isn't "doing anything about it." Multiple people who brought their iPhones to Apple Stores were told that Apple doesn't recognize it as an issue and nothing could be done as their iPhones were out of warranty.

Putting pressure on the display of an affected iPhone or twisting the device appears to reverse the issue for a short period, but the gray bar returns and touch functionality grows worse and worse until the touchscreen stops functioning entirely.

Replacing the display doesn't work as the problem is said to be caused by the touchscreen controller chips soldered to the logic board of the phone, and it's possible the damage is caused by the same structural design flaw that caused the major "Bendgate" controversy.According to iFixit, the only way to fix the problem is to replace the iPhone, replace the logic board, or replace the Touch ICs on the logic board, something Apple's in-house repair staff is not able to do. iFixit recommends users who are experiencing early symptoms of Touch Disease -- an intermittently non-functional touch screen or hints of a gray bar -- get their iPhones replaced outright if they're still under warranty.

For those without a warranty, iFixit suggests taking an affected iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to an electronics repair shop able to replace the chips. Apple doesn't approve of third-party repairs, but it may be the only solution until the problem is officially acknowledged by the company.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are not affected by the same issue as Apple strengthened the body and changed the position of the Touch IC chips in those devices.

Article Link: Growing Number of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Devices Affected by Insidious 'Touch Disease'




And my 2015 camaro should be replaced with a 2016 because the headliner doesn't come down as easy. Your comment is victim like. Entitlement at its finest. Oh based on a rumor from a random liquor store "repair" shop on the corner who profits from this. Yeah okay.
 
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Obviously Apple designed this to fail there is no other reason I can think of. It all started from Lightning cable to break close to the pin connector. It's a money making business for Apple and realized why not design an iPhone that breaks at certain point of time. Quality product my ass!
 
This is why I only stick with s-cycle iPhones and recommend to others accordingly.
"s" no longer solely means "speed" or "mid-design internal spec bump". It also means "rock solid reliability not found in the immediately previous version of the phone".

My 4(s) crackled during phone calls. This was also widespread, judging by Google searches. You almost can't win.

4S also had the failing WIFI after iOS 7 upgrade that people were putting their phones in the fridge to fix.
 
And my 2015 camaro should be replaced with a 2016 because the headliner doesn't come down as easy. Your comment is victim like. Entitlement at its finest. Oh based on a rumor from a random liquor store "repair" shop on the corner who profits from this. Yeah okay.
How is that Kool-aid tasting?
 
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According to the video, the 4S and 5S 's touch chips are encased in a steel sleeve. The 6 and 6 plus, the chips are not and just have a layer of tape over them. That combined with the flimsy aluminum case I guess is a recipe for stress failure.

Seems like a design fail to me.
 
If crappy Apple Music does not destroy Apple, this one would likely will.
Impossible for Apple to survive if they don't sell enough iOS device.

Hey so, how is Apple Music crap? It's pretty much beating every other streaming service in every fashion and Spotify are quaking in Apple's shadow right now.

Also, you realise Apple are sitting on enough money to run a western country for years? They could sell 0 iPhones and the company would still be around for at least another 40-50 years. Apple are not going anywhere any time soon, but they are in a slump.

People who think Apple are going to somehow 'die' or go bankrupt any time soon are frankly delusional.
 
This news has received quite a bit of attention. It's in my Facebook news thing in the right, and elsewhere. I'm sure in a few days/weeks, Apple will respond with a solution. Probably something like this

Apple has determined that a very small percentage of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices may experience a grey flickering bar at the top of the screen and possible difficulty with the multi touch display. The affected iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices will be repaired free of charge. If you have already paid for this type of repair, you may contact Apple regarding imbursement.
 
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I have the same problem, it started 2 months ago, at first , i was able to make it work by lock and unlocking it , but it got to the point that it is completely unusable. i did some google search and i realize it is a growing problem, hopefully apple make a recall for this issue soon before i spend more money for a new phone
 
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"Get your Apple product and buy with confidence!" (well, not really)

Same old Apple: deny, deny, deny!

I experienced this in 2004 or 5 with a G5 iMac.

Stand by your products Apple!

If this happens to my 6, and Apple has no remedy for it's customers I may be done.

Dont forget Radeongate in 2011, which required a class action law suit for Apple to acknowledge it (after many years).
 
This... is Greed

So why is this happen only to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus? Apple didn't use a substance called "underfill" to help support the touch ICs, according to independent repair specialists like Jessa Jones of iPad Rehab and Louis RossmannThe reason we haven't seen this in older handsets is because Apple has used in previous iPhone models.
This underfill works like a glue that helps mount the circuits to the board and also helps absorb impacts. Without this underfill, the touch circuits tend to flex and strain their connectors, eventually disconnecting from the logic board.

Additionally, Jones and Rossmann both point to the fact that Apple also decided not to put a metal shield over the touch circuits, which would have prevented the logic board from flexing. Instead, the company simply put a sticker over part of the iPhone 6 logic board where the touch controllers reside.
All of these factors, combined with the fact that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus wereprone to bending, has resulted in many iPhone users stuck with unresponsive phones.​
 
This... is Greed

So why is this happen only to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus? Apple didn't use a substance called "underfill" to help support the touch ICs, according to independent repair specialists like Jessa Jones of iPad Rehab and Louis RossmannThe reason we haven't seen this in older handsets is because Apple has used in previous iPhone models.
This underfill works like a glue that helps mount the circuits to the board and also helps absorb impacts. Without this underfill, the touch circuits tend to flex and strain their connectors, eventually disconnecting from the logic board.

Additionally, Jones and Rossmann both point to the fact that Apple also decided not to put a metal shield over the touch circuits, which would have prevented the logic board from flexing. Instead, the company simply put a sticker over part of the iPhone 6 logic board where the touch controllers reside.
All of these factors, combined with the fact that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus wereprone to bending, has resulted in many iPhone users stuck with unresponsive phones.​
Sounds more like they were trying to shave off space wherever they could to make the iPhone thinner. Not so much greed as it was a simply lack of common sense.

Any word if the same problem is prevalent in the 6S? Is the touch controller chip still as vulnerable?
 
Sounds more like they were trying to shave off space wherever they could to make the iPhone thinner. Not so much greed as it was a simply lack of common sense.

Any word if the same problem is prevalent in the 6S? Is the touch controller chip still as vulnerable?
I can think of many things that fall under the category of "Common Sense":

Don't tug on Superman's cape
Don't spit in the wind
Don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
etc.

The proper amount of underfill needed beneath a touch IC in a mobile phone doesn't happen to be among them.
 
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