Apple quietly handling iPhone touchscreen issues?

It doesn't appear to be particularly widespread, but according to a couple threads on Apple's support forums and elsewhere, a small number of iPhones are suddenly getting "dead spots" on their touchscreens -- mostly along the bottom, but occasionally affecting the entire surface. Apple is apparently being extremely proactive in dealing with the issue, calling customers who've posted in their forums and arranging replacements -- the company can't let anything tarnish the image of The Most Important Device Ever, after all. All of our iPhones are still working great (even after some casual hacking) -- anyone else have this problem?

[Via AppleInsider]

[paloooz @ Aug 9th 2007 9:43PM]

Yep. Mine works fine, not one problem with the touch screen. Other than a few bubbles, but Apple replaced those phones so it's all good!

[JoeX @ Aug 9th 2007 9:44PM]

Apple Newton, v. 2?

[TMIDE @ Aug 9th 2007 10:09PM]

if by "Newton v.2" you mean a device that is so ahead of it's time that consumers don't understand how (insanely) great it is, and therefore sales suffer...

... then yes. Newton v.2

Now flame me, for I am a fanboi.

[JoeX @ Aug 9th 2007 10:18PM]

So what are you saying TMIDE? That the iPhone is more like Newton, v. 3?

[casey @ Aug 10th 2007 12:07AM]

TMIDE, I'd be embarrassed to call myself a fanboi of anything. You must wear pink skirts.

[Miles @ Aug 10th 2007 2:17AM]

lol like the numerous PDAs before the Newton I guess.

Newton was looking to be too much, and it couldn't live up to the hype.

The iPhone on the other hand is doing amazingly well, you have to agree with that even if you hate the damned thing.

[Miles @ Aug 10th 2007 2:17AM]

lol like the numerous PDAs before the Newton I guess.

Newton was looking to be too much, and it couldn't live up to the hype.

The iPhone on the other hand is doing amazingly well, you have to agree with that even if you hate the damned thing.

[Fatima @ Aug 9th 2007 9:46PM]

Thats Apple service for ya~
My iPhone has been working flawlessly. Now lets get some software updates going!

[Brandon @ Aug 9th 2007 9:48PM]

Or, they want their customer's to be happy, therefore they replace defective units, and sidestep a class action suit.

[chadow @ Aug 9th 2007 11:06PM]

Wow....you make it sound so much nicer when its Apple doing it, as opposed to what people say about Microsoft doing the exact same thing with one of their products.

[Brandon @ Aug 10th 2007 12:04AM]

It's interesting that you assume I represent those "people", whom you so strongly dislike.

I will say positive things about companies indiscriminately who back up their product with solid support and effective product replacement programs. To humor your unsubstantiated claims, I will go ahead and applaud Microsoft for their decision to support and replace defective Xbox 360s.

Is my now, unbiased opinion up to your, oh so righteous, standard(s), troll?

[chadow @ Aug 10th 2007 7:35AM]

You, my friend, are a bit defensive. I had no words in my comment that "strongly" said anything, directed anything negative towards you, implied any "righteous"ness to myself, or even approached "troll"ing.

Calm down, man. It was merely an observation that anyone reading this forum should/could have made.

[ssuk @ Aug 10th 2007 7:58AM]

I love how Chadow, here, is trying to turn the tables on Brandon. Chadow jumped to conclusions, which he was in the wrong to do so, there was nothing in his comment to suggest he was bias toward anything, but was meerly stating the fact that he's a fan of proper customer support in this day and age. When he explains to you his view-point, you wont admit you're wrong, so instead attempt to make it seem like Brandon is the bad guy by saying he's "over-defensive" and so try to lure people into a mind-set where it seems that Brandon may actually be some heartless Apple fanboy, god forbid!

Jesus dude, your e-penis should be the size of a cocktail stick by now, just admit you're wrong and it may eventually grow back.

[chadow @ Aug 10th 2007 8:49AM]

Dear god, ssuk. I think you are taking our posts a bit too seriously. I bet you would make a wonderful conspiracy theorist though, if your instigating skills never get you anywhere.

@ Brandon: I think we both agree manufacturers backing their faulty product to be a good thing, regardless of what money hungry corporation does it. That was my only point to begin with. Never meant any offense (never really thought I gave it either).

[Brandon @ Aug 10th 2007 12:21PM]

"@ Brandon: I think we both agree manufacturers backing their faulty product to be a good thing, regardless of what money hungry corporation does it. That was my only point to begin with. Never meant any offense (never really thought I gave it either)."

Agreed, and in hindsight notwithstanding the last line of my second post. Consider it sincerely redacted =).

[chadow @ Aug 10th 2007 12:36PM]

Thanks, Brandon. You are as gentlemanly, as you are scholarly :)

[John @ Aug 10th 2007 7:47PM]

get a room you two

[Kevo @ Aug 9th 2007 10:01PM]

I have had no issues at all with the touchscreen. The phone is great.

Recently all the apps would crash as soon as I'd open them. Email, SMS, Safari, voicemail, everything except the actual phone would crash a second after I opened it. It turned our that my security update didn't take the first time and after round 2 of updating, everything worked fine. Nothing else to report. Waiting for some good new software updates though...

[joe @ Aug 10th 2007 12:03AM]

Oops I meant to post that here
1-800-4MY-XBOX

[CharlieX @ Aug 9th 2007 10:08PM]

Man, if only MS had called me when I bitched about my broken 360 and quietly taken care of it...

[Ellianth @ Aug 9th 2007 11:01PM]

Did you try calling them? Cuz if you didn't.. how did you expect them to know. And if you did call them, what do you mean by, "if only ms called me?"

[CharlieX @ Aug 9th 2007 11:37PM]

What? You mean I need to call them? Oh, I thought this article was about them trolling user groups and approaching their users directly. What's MS phone number? you jackass

[Ellianth @ Aug 10th 2007 12:11AM]

Did you want the head office number or the xbox support line?

Head office is:
(800) MICROSOFT (642-7676)

Xbox division is:
(800) 4MY-XBOX (469-9269)

Wasn't that easy?

I also have their address and fax number and other contact information if you need it. Because legitimate companies have addresses and phone numbers. You can easily get your point across without insulting people. Why are you so hostile? Now I really wonder if you even owned an xbox. Because anyone who bought an expensive product and had it unreasonably break would contact the manufacturer to see if they could have the problem resolved.

[Brandon @ Aug 10th 2007 12:28AM]

http://service.xbox.com/servicesignin.aspx

This website is recommended by Microsoft as the best place to go if you have a defective Xbox 360 (as directly linked to from xbox.com index page)

I'd suggest that as the best place to start!

[Señor Swanky @ Aug 9th 2007 10:11PM]

Why does this even have to be construed as "quietly?" It's just business, and business only involving a small number of people. Every day, employess at Apple Stores probably 'quietly' point people to the bathrooms, too. I wonder if it's some sort of conspiracy?

[TNP @ Aug 9th 2007 10:40PM]

If Appple sold them defective iBladders, then yes.

[Señor Swanky @ Aug 9th 2007 10:42PM]

Defective bladders line up outside the Vatican.

[Tim @ Aug 10th 2007 10:34AM]

Apple Stores have bathrooms?! And I've been using the one in Lord and Taylor's like a chump...

[Trini @ Aug 9th 2007 10:12PM]

There is an issue but its software issue. Try Typing Misreb on the keybord in a SMS conversation. It wont allow you to press the b.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Aug 9th 2007 11:01PM]

Hah.. NOT! Works perfectly for me, followed your instructions exactly.

[david @ Aug 9th 2007 11:10PM]

no problem on mine either!

[Ellianth @ Aug 10th 2007 12:14AM]

do you have a video camera? I wanna see this bug, record it and put it on youtube or something. If you have time.

[RS @ Aug 9th 2007 10:13PM]

No problem, and absolutely brilliant beginning by Apple...like Fatima, cannot wait for the software updates, widgets, etc!!

[Trini @ Aug 9th 2007 10:15PM]

What they need to do is hurry and release iChat on this bad boy.

[Scot @ Aug 9th 2007 10:17PM]

My touchscreen went dead across the bottom. Took it back to the Apple Store where I bought it and they replaced it. That was my second one, so I'm now on my third iPhone. My first one had a dead pixel on the display.

[TNP @ Aug 9th 2007 10:44PM]

On the bright side, that's two more Apple employees that have received their promised iPhones - sans warranty of any kind, natch.

[A little birdie @ Aug 10th 2007 3:37PM]

Actually, Apple isn't refreshing returned open-box iPhones to inventory, so employees are only allowed to buy new-in-box iPhones, at the standard employee discount (which itself, is a relatively recent development)... or so I've been told.

Also, bear in mind that not everyone who was on Apple's payroll on June 28th got a free iPhone at the end of July.

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 9th 2007 10:35PM]

Eat up Martha.

[richard Glenn @ Aug 9th 2007 10:58PM]

I had to bring my iPhone back because 1/4 of the screen went dead. they gave me a rental (for 30 bucks) and are ending me a replacement.

While I was in line at the 5th Ave G-Bar 2 other people had the same problem but in different areas of the screen.

I would hope they refund the rental for the defect!

Still a great PHONE!!!!!

[Andreas Lung @ Aug 10th 2007 5:08AM]

What??? You still have to pay for the phone rent???

I suspect, Apple does this on purpose ... !

- Sell defective touchscreen
- Fanboy bought it
- Fanboy return it
- Fanboy paid the phone rent (PROFIT!!!)
- Fanboy got replacement
- Repack the old defective touchscreen ... and wait another fanboy !

[sangyoungsong @ Aug 9th 2007 11:01PM]

Mine works great except that I just realized the screen is actually very susceptible to scratches. I saw a videoclip that does this so-called 'stress test' from PC World and I believed what they showed in the clip ("they hold up well against scratches..."). Well... You'd better take my advice: it is extremely easy to get scratches on the screen. You probably need a case or never put your iPhone in your pocket with ANYTHING else.

[geoff @ Aug 9th 2007 11:25PM]

The top half of my touchscreen pooped out about a week ago. Very strange though, the home screen was completely unaffected, but EVERY app beyond that was unable to sense touches to the upper half to third of the screen. Naturally, Apple willingly replaced the unit.

[chadow @ Aug 9th 2007 11:40PM]

Dont put these anywhere near brown Zune's. My friend learned the hard way. He set his iPhone on the counter about 17 inches from my Zune (brown ones only as far as I can tell), and when he picked it back up the screen was scratched all to hell, half his contacts were gone, and 70% of his touchscreen no longer worked.

When he brought it back to AT&T they said, and I quote, "...the Zune must have confused his iPhone with an iPod and made IT its bi*ch...". They promptly gave him a new one.

:)

[ezmonee @ Aug 10th 2007 12:24AM]

Ive sold, personally, well over 100 IPhones and as a customer service follow up I called each one 2-3 days after they got the phones.

Not one had any screen problems. During that time, I offered up my company cell to contact me if they had questions, to this day I havent heard any calls regarding the screen. I have heard of issues with reception in concrete buildings (go figure), the battery life not lasting one movie (asked them to bring it in, gave them a blackjack for a day and tested the battery, could not repeat the issue), cell reception cutting in and out when other members of the family had perfect reception (skeptical, but Accepted it at face value).

I did get one phone back that bricked on signup and one that returned because every time they tried to make a call, the phone shut off. Both phones exchanged immedately and the customers havent had issues since.

[jessekac @ Aug 9th 2007 11:49PM]

Mine had this issue about two weeks after I bought it (two days after launch). A line across the top of the screen where the 4,5,6 are on the phone pad stopped working. No matter what fell on this spot the screen wouldn't respond. I called Apple and they had me do a full restore which did nothing. I then made an appointment to come into an Apple store. I showed up, explained my issue in 10 words, and they swapped it out with a new phone without even touching mine. I asked the guy if they are seeing this often and the answer was no. Good soldier. Did I mention he didn't even lay a finger on mine before handing me my new one........... first time my a**.
I have to say they did a fantastic job of resolving the issue. I only hope if it craps out in a 8 months they will be so kind :)
ps - I love my iPhone

[stephan @ Aug 10th 2007 12:16AM]

i have had some problems with my end key when trying to hang up.. it wont let me end the call for 10-15 sec. after the screen comes back on.. nothing major though

[lbalk @ Aug 10th 2007 12:51AM]

I had this problem a few weeks ago while I was out of town, I brought it to the closest Apple store at the Century City shopping center in California and they touched it and immediately replaced it. The problem I ran into was the AT&T web site was off line for most of the weekend. I could not reactivate the telephone for two days, good thing I still had my Treo.

[OGHowie @ Aug 10th 2007 12:59AM]

Had this problem when I was demoing a unit at the local Apple store. Middle of the keyboard was completely dead in landscape mode.

[frazer_james @ Aug 10th 2007 1:17AM]

Yep, I've got that problem right now. It started about two weeks ago. It's a horizontal line near the top and it effects all of my applications. More specifically, using safari, the google search bar is unusable.

I actually brought it to the Apple store at Oakbrook mall near Chicago and waited for an hour for my appointment with a genius. I showed him what was happening and he agreed that it was a problem he couldn't fix and offered to send my phone away for a week. Unfortunately that just won't work for me because I use my phone heavily for work. Needless to say I was disappointed that I drove an hour and a half out there and left with my still not completely functional phone. As a loyal Apple buyer that is always first to promote their products I feel a little used. Dirty even. Maybe smudged is a better word. :)

So where's my help Apple? $29.99 is a bit much for a phone I'm just "borrowing" for a week which after I have to drive back to return. I'll spend that much in gas.

Don't worry, I'm telling all of my friends and strangers who ask how it's working that I love it. I'm too embarrassed to admit I bought a $600 phone that doesn't completely work.

[notlim @ Aug 10th 2007 2:56AM]

Yes. A Coworker recently bought an iphone and brought it back to Taiwan. The bottom row of the touchscreen was dead, making the ipod, safari, and other important functions unusable. What's worse is that we couldn't even connect to the company's wireless because we couldn't input numbers for the network key, again because the numbers button on the keyboard is on the bottom row. Hugely disappointing that she's going to have to send it back across the Pacific and wait for a replacement.