Apple is once again embroiled in a major iPhone defect fiasco and is reportedly deleting posts that reference the issue on its support site. Many iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners are reporting unresponsive displays and experts believe it's due to faulty Touch IC chips.
When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2010, it wasn't the first time the world was laying its eyes on the smartphone. Tech website Gizmodo had already done the honors earlier that April after it purchased a prototype of the iPhone 4, which had been lost by an Apple employee, for $5,000.
In reference to the Gizmodo leak, Jobs made a joke during his WWDC presentation, asking the crowd, "Tell me if you've already seen this," which invoked laughter and applause. The CEO and Apple would face an even bigger headache immediately after the iPhone 4 went on sale in the form of "antennagate." Apple has faced similar defect reports with most of its flagship iPhone launches since then.
The 2012 release of the iPhone 5 brought with it reports of paint chipping off of the Black & Slate color option, while 2014's release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ushered in "bendgate," when multiple videos showed how susceptible the iPhone 6 Plus in particular was to having its metal frame bend.
It now appears that Apple's bendgate nightmare is coming back to haunt the company, as there are multiple reports of a widespread "Touch Disease" affecting iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users.
iFixit is reporting that it has been notified by several third-party iPhone repair services that claim that they have seen a huge increase in the amount of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users experiencing Touch Disease, which results in a flickering thin gray line at the top of the display, and either an unresponsive or less responsive screen.
One of these is microsoldering specialist Jessa Jones, who has been spending most of her time fixing iPhones with the issue. Jones explains in a blog post how the Touch IC chips are connected to the phones' circuit board through an array of tiny solder balls "much like a plate resting on marbles."
However, over time with normal daily use, all the twisting or flexing can cause the balls in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to crack, making the Touch IC chips lose contact with the circuit board.
"At first, there may be no defect at all. Later you might notice that the screen is sometimes unresponsive, but it is quick to come back with a hard reset," Jones writes. "As the crack deepens into a full separation of the chip-board bond, the periods of no touch function become more frequent."
According to Jones in the video below, the issue can only be fixed by replacing the logic board, replacing the Touch IC chips or the actual iPhone itself. She also alleges that Apple has banned her from its official Apple Support Community three times for "sharing this kind of information."
Have you experienced this issue with your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? Please let us know in the comments below.
