Planned obsolescence -- the iPhone 6 "touch disease"

[pilot-in-fla]

Note that although the article below refers to iPhone 6's as "aging phones", none of them are as old as two years.

iPhone 6 owners are noticing a problem with their aging phones. The touchscreens are slowly getting less and less responsive until, suddenly, a grey bar starts flickering at the top and the touchscreen stops working altogether. It’s called ‘Touch Disease,” and it might be the ultimate fate of almost every iPhone 6.
...
If you’re willing to violate your warranty, the team at iFixit, who originally discovered the issue, have a pretty easy solution. Anybody decent with micro-soldering will be able to reconnect the chips, provided they’re still good, and get your phone back up and running. Unfortunately, though, Apple Stores and Apple’s certified repair shops aren’t allowed to micro-solder, so you’ll have to buy a whole new logic board for the phone instead.

The conspiracy-minded might note this problem is first appearing conveniently right when two years are up and a new iPhone is about to make its debut. We’ll take the high road and leave it there.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/iphone-6-falling-apart-thanks-181709862.html

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Note that although the article below refers to iPhone 6's as "aging phones"

 

[Durty South Swamp]

My wife got a iphone 6 three months ago... against my recommendation. 3 weeks ago it started dropping signal in the middle of urban areas. We have the same service provider, I would have 4 or 5 bars and all of a sudden she would have "no service."

Apparently a common problem, the actual board can dislodge itself within the phone and open the contact between the circuitry and the cell antenna. No issues with wifi but cell signal comes and goes randomly. Discussed with repair places and apple; no one but apple will repair and you have to send it to them. We don't have insurance on the phone.

Needless to say we are buying yet another phone because this ones shot out. I'm getting her a 5s today just like Ive had since they first came out and just like she had previously. You can get them now brand new for as low as 150.

Apparently the iphone 6 is a complete piece of chit.

 

[playzwtrux]

Apparently the iphone 6 is a complete piece of chit.

i think that's a true statement about iPhones in general

 

[Durty South Swamp]

ive had nothing but great luck with any iphone ive ever owned, and im in no way an apple homer.

 

[URGatorBait]

ive had nothing but great luck with any iphone ive ever owned, and im in no way an apple homer.

Liar ;)

 

[pilot-in-fla]

What I find troubling is that, although Apple is aware of the fix for the problem, they are trying to force their customers to buy new phones instead of being able to repair their older ones. This is the same tactic they used in the case of the "Error 53" although a lawsuit finally forced the issue.

If you read some of the other articles about this problem, you'll find that Apple is deleting comments from people on its message forums about how the problem can be fixed.

There will probably be a class action lawsuit coming up on this.

 

[Zambo]

My biggest beef with Apple is that they have strayed from their simple and elegant roots. The iPod wasn't fancy, just a simple tool that felt right and worked great. The original iPhone was so simple to use that a total technophobe like my wife could figure the whole thing out with no instructions. The iPad brought full size browsing and entertainment into a small package with multitouch. The App Store and the software development kit opened up an entire platform for the worlds designers...a totally blank canvas.

But somewhere along the way, Apple started unnecessarily chasing Samsung/android. That platform in its more open form leads to more open source uses, more customization, etc but also introduces more complication and instability. In an attempt to match all the possible features of android, the core programs like iTunes, photos, Safari, etc have grown cumbersome and confusing. The music feature of my iPhone has become so freaking frustrating to use it makes me want to scream and the photo app isn't far behind. Apple should just cede the feature war to android devices and let the people who want all that stuff have it. All I want is a simple device that let me take pictures and videos, surf the web and send email, and download and listen to music as its core functions. Let app developers make more complicated versions of that stuff. Make the device durable and make the battery last a long time. That's it.

 

[L-boy]

I've never had any issue with my iPhone 5 except for the battery dying after almost 3 years. I've swapped out my daughters iPhone 6 under warranty twice for various issues, although I'm not sure how much was due to her abuse of the phone. Once was because the muting switch on the side jammed. The other was an odd intermittent flickering. But that happened weeks after we had the screen replaced at a fix it store. I didn't tell Apple that.

 

[pilot-in-fla]

I've never had any issue with my iPhone 5 except for the battery dying after almost 3 years. I've swapped out my daughters iPhone 6 under warranty twice for various issues, although I'm not sure how much was due to her abuse of the phone. Once was because the muting switch on the side jammed. The other was an odd intermittent flickering. But that happened weeks after we had the screen replaced at a fix it store. I didn't tell Apple that.

I'm surprised that Apple didn't have some method of finding out that you had made an unauthorized repair.

You must be very persuasive as the job of the Apple "geniuses" is to get you to purchase more Apple equipment not to give stuff out under warranty claims.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

But somewhere along the way, Apple started unnecessarily chasing Samsung/android.... Apple should just cede the feature war to android devices and let the people who want all that stuff have it.

They can't do that. Their entire business plan, currently, is based on getting people in skinny jeans, or other people who want to tell themselves how cool or trendy they are, to camp outside of stores waiting for their yearly purchase of the latest, greatest chInaphone.

 

[grengadgy]

I see where Apple is pushing a new security update because the Israelis hacked the iphone in the Middle East.

 

[G 2]

So why do you think that Samsung phones won't be affected by the same bug?

 

[pilot-in-fla]

They can't do that. Their entire business plan, currently, is based on getting people in skinny jeans, or other people who want to tell themselves how cool or trendy they are, to camp outside of stores waiting for their yearly purchase of the latest, greatest chInaphone.

One important change is that you find fewer reviewers that only compare the latest Apple phone to previous Apple phones. As long as you are only looking at Apple products, the latest one is always going to be at least slightly better. But more and more reviews are comparing Apple products to the competition and, in those cases, Apple doesn't look so good.

I actually saw an article that was complimenting Apple on staying behind the competition while waiting to decide which features customers want. Quite a change from the days when Steve Jobs would use his cult status to dictate to the customers what features they did and didn't want. Tim Cook has done an amazing job of preserving Apple's astronomical margins but he has no cult following like Steve Jobs did.

 

[Zambo]

Tim Cook may be raking in the dough right now but IMO he is killing the brand. I have been an iPhone user since day 1 but this version 6 may be the last stop for me.

 

[pilot-in-fla]

Tim Cook may be raking in the dough right now but IMO he is killing the brand. I have been an iPhone user since day 1 but this version 6 may be the last stop for me.

They're saying the iPhone 8 will be great.

 

[GatorJ]

Tim Cook may be raking in the dough right now but IMO he is killing the brand. I have been an iPhone user since day 1 but this version 6 may be the last stop for me.

Same here

 

[grengadgy]

So why do you think that Samsung phones won't be affected by the same bug?

You aren't responding to my post are you?

 

[G 2]

You aren't responding to my post are you?

Did I quote your post?

It was in response to the OP.

 

[LagoonGator68]

Get an iPad and you'll never go back....