Well, this will drive you relatively crazy.
Apple has responded to the “touch disease” issue present in some iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units and has offered a reduced repair price of $149 to resolve the issue.
The problem, described in August as “touch disease” by repair guide website iFixit, is characterized by a gray, flickering bar at the top of the display and an unresponsive touchscreen. The issue affects both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
In its comments, Apple appears to consider the issue somewhat user-created as opposed to citing it as a defect in the product. It said Thursday that the company has determined that the smartphones may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues “after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.”
Apple is now offering to repair the issue for $149, provided the device is in working order and the screen is neither cracked or broken.
The issue seems to run deeper, though. iFixit has stated that simply replacing the touchscreen doesn’t fix the issue, as the gray bar eventually shows up on the new screen. It quotes repair experts as stating that the problem is with the two touchscreen controller chips, or Touch IC chips, on the logic board inside the phone, which convert touch information into inputs for the phone.
iFixit has stated that it discovered that stress on the handset causers the chips to eventually lose connection with the logic board. The repair outfit cited “insufficient structural support around the logic board” and said it had seen the problem on phones that have never been dropped.
A proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users was filed in August by a law firm, alleging a design defect in the iPhone 6 series phones.
Apple has offered to reimburse the cost difference to those iPhone 6 customers who have already repaired the phone earlier for the same issue either through Apple or through an authorized service provider. Those who have paid for a repair believed to be related to the issue but have not been contacted yet by Apple, are asked to get in touch with the company.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via Macworld and iFixit