Other Improvement in QC after the release date: urban legend or truth?

[Jutah]

Hi all, every year i buy the new iPhone at the day 1 and every year i have to swap many times due to different kind of defect: uneven screens, scratches out of the box, crackling speakers etc..

I noticed that many device bougth weeks/months later have less chances to be bugged.

The say that over the weeks/months some improvement occurs in the QC/production process.

Do you think is it actually so or is just an internet myth?

 

[rKunda]

I mean, generally you’d always expect to see production improvements over time with any company.

But I’m not sure if anecdotal evidence is enough to demonstrate at a difference in what ends up in the hands of end users

 

[sjperformance]

I don't think so. Not with Apple. With other companies yes. Apple QC same throughout. Apple is top notch.

 

[JPack]

If you look at past service programs for iPhone, it’s the later build serial numbers that are affected. There is very tight control by Apple in July and August before the factory is allowed to ramp. Later, the device is allowed to be assembled by tier-2 factories.

 

[eyoungren]

Hi all, every year i buy the new iPhone at the day 1 and every year i have to swap many times due to different kind of defect: uneven screens, scratches out of the box, crackling speakers etc..

I noticed that many device bougth weeks/months later have less chances to be bugged.

The say that over the weeks/months some improvement occurs in the QC/production process.

Do you think is it actually so or is just an internet myth?

I tend to believe this. My iPhone 5 was replaced three times and the current one (got in 2017) is the best of the lot.

OTOH, my launch weekend iPhone 6s Plus has been rock solid and never needed anything, except a battery replacement which I had done in November 2021.

 

[eyoungren]

Apple is top notch.

I like Apple and it has some real quality in a lot of their products. But I wouldn't say top-notch.

There are several 'gates' out there, Scuffgate with the iPhone 5, Bendgate with the iPhone 6 and so on that argue against your statement.

 

[RRC]

I’ve bought far too many release day iPhones and never once had a single issue, and I’m very OCD with my phones.

 

[AnthroMatt]

Hi all, every year i buy the new iPhone at the day 1 and every year i have to swap many times due to different kind of defect: uneven screens, scratches out of the box, crackling speakers etc..

I noticed that many device bougth weeks/months later have less chances to be bugged.

The say that over the weeks/months some improvement occurs in the QC/production process.

Do you think is it actually so or is just an internet myth?

I doubt that there are more issues with early production products. I think the reason there may be an illusion of buggy/defective devices early in release is that you have the greatest number of sales and activations of new models in the first days after they are released. More sales = more opportunities for defective items. As the pace of sales slows during the weeks and months following release, I suspect the number of sales regresses toward the mean and therefore you tend to see fewer reports of hardware issues.

 

[Robot21]

i think its a myth...i bought a 14PM in oct last year returned it because of dust in camera...bought it again in jan 23 and it had a dead pixel, dust in camera and a scratch 🥲 thats when my cycle of buy/return started 🤣 bought 7 total and ended up giving up lol this year with the 15PM im 3/3 lol all had dead pixels...gotta love apple's qc...sad

 

[sjperformance]

I like Apple and it has some real quality in a lot of their products. But I wouldn't say top-notch.

There are several 'gates' out there, Scuffgate with the iPhone 5, Bendgate with the iPhone 6 and so on that argue against your statement.

Still top notch. Considering these forums dont even account for the 1% of theiphone users around the world. Also you know the millions of iphones sold per year? To me that is top notch. Apple everything in my house and office. Not single issue on any of them. Been with apple for 1o years now.

 

[thecautioners]

I’ve bought far too many release day iPhones and never once had a single issue, and I’m very OCD with my phones.

Same here. I get first day phones, never once had an issue. I’ve had several iPhones overall and I’ve never had to exchange for any reason, I’ve been completely happy.

 

[symphony]

I don't think so. Not with Apple. With other companies yes. Apple QC same throughout. Apple is top notch.

That’s not true in my experience

 

[symphony]

Hi all, every year i buy the new iPhone at the day 1 and every year i have to swap many times due to different kind of defect: uneven screens, scratches out of the box, crackling speakers etc..

I noticed that many device bougth weeks/months later have less chances to be bugged.

The say that over the weeks/months some improvement occurs in the QC/production process.

Do you think is it actually so or is just an internet myth?

Hit or miss in my experience.

Although lately with these recent generations I’ve been getting gems unlike back then

 

[rkuo]

If you've ever talked to anyone who works in manufacturing, they never buy the first run of anything. There's a reason for that. sometimes it's best not to know how the sausage is made.

 

[Tsepz]

i think its a myth...i bought a 14PM in oct last year returned it because of dust in camera...bought it again in jan 23 and it had a dead pixel, dust in camera and a scratch 🥲 thats when my cycle of buy/return started 🤣 bought 7 total and ended up giving up lol this year with the 15PM im 3/3 lol all had dead pixels...gotta love apple's qc...sad

Wtf, that is insane 😳
*Knocks on wood* I have never received a bad iPhone unit, same with my other devices except one, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge back in 2016, I got one that had/has a tendency to lockup and become unresponsive, I never took it back though as it happened sporadically, eventually upgraded a year later to a Note, but that S7E unit was a real lemon of a device.

 

[gigatoaster]

Everything that is produced at a massive scale is continuously improved. It’s the only logical and only reasonable possibility. Don’t ask me why.