iPhone 4's yellow spot issue goes away with a bit of time?
By Paul Miller 
posted June 24th 2010 10:23AM
posted June 24th 2010 10:23AM
If this can be trusted, it's very good news for those afflicted -- though hopefully Apple will keep to its usually painless replacement policy for defective phones either way. We are still seeing some mentions of the spots sticking around, fading in and out based on the heat of the phone, but we'll give it another day or two to really see how much of a problem is going to be. Let us know how yours fares.Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow "blotches" will disappear. How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
@Celz So what is good about buying a phone and watch it go absolete in the next month? without a single update? At least buying Apple you know that for a year you are good. With HTC you never know.
@kyphem
lots of people buy a new phone everyday. Nothing wrong with releasing new models every few months to provide potential buyers with the latest technology/upgrade.
@kyphem Slide out Keyboards, Wimax, Sense UI, Widgets, BBM, BIS,HDMI out, Google Nav, Microsoft Office, etc etc etc.. The only update you are owed is the one that is press released BEFORE your purchase.. And a Touch Pro or an iPhone 3G is FAR from obsolete they can still handle over 90 percent of the stuff you would do on an Evo or an iPhone 4.. And with jailbreaking iphones you can do alot of stuff thats not even on the iPhone 4 and on my Touch Pro I had winmo 6.5 and android 2.1...
The iPhone 4 doesnt have HDMI out and the Evo doesnt have a hi res display.. There will NEVER be a phone that has every new feature out because these features take time to develop and Apple cant magically develop what HTC is making at the same time and vice versa..
If you want an update two years after you buy a phone go with Apple if your more into having a unique form factor or style that more suits you go with Android its really simple
This happening to my sisters very first iPod touch 2G, she got it a day after it was released in futureshop and she wouldnt shut up about the little yellow spots on her screen, the next day after charging it, there were no spots, they magically disappeared forever.
Would be sad if this spot thing was a persistent problem. Hopefully they can identify exactly what's going on and fix it for the next production run. Still sucks for early adopters, though.
The yellow spots are visible signs of Apple pissing on you.
If it's an adhesive and didn't have enough time to cure, will we have the same problem as the EVO screens coming apart too?
Cause if you rush the process, you'll get a crappy product.
@recharged95 Yea really kinda like bad reception for holding your iphone, or no instant messaging on your kin, or a joke keyboard on your droid, or 30 fps on your evo, or etc etc etc
@Celz The only thing is that Steve Jobs got up on stage and bragged about how perfect the screen was, how the new design is ultra-durable, how both glass panes are scratch-resistant, and how the new antennae improve reception.
All of that turned out to be complete bunk. The screen isn't perfect, the design is more fragile than anything on the market, it's not scratch-resistant, and the reception is having major problems when held by human hands.
People get kinda pissed when they're lied to so blatantly.
@Matt da Brat
You apparently don't know what "bunk" means, or what "lied to" means.
Jobs never said the screen was perfect. If you want to disagree with me about that, you're going to need to provide a link and a quote where Jobs ACTUALLY SAID the iPhone's screen was "perfect". Put up or shut up.
He also never said it was "ultra durable", what he said was that the glass they used is 30 times stronger than plastic, and that the stainless steel has been treated to make it 5 times stronger than normal stainless steel. Again, please provide a link or proof that either of those things aren't true. Until you can do that, STFU.
@Jack
"
Engineered Glass
All the breakthrough technology in iPhone 4 is situated between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable."
"Retina Display
The 960-by-640 backlit LCD display boasts a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution phone screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small — a mere 78 micrometers across — that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. That makes text remarkably sharp and graphics incredibly vivid. IPS technology also provides excellent color and contrast from almost any viewing angle."
Source: http://www.apple.com/iphone/design/
Please note these specific parts:
" ...the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable."
"IPS technology also provides excellent color..."
Also note that these are Apple's own words, not mine.
Ignore it and the problem goes away :P
@Kanpai888
hopefully that's the case
Remember the EVO screen problems? Where are those people who said that Engadget doesn't post anything negative about Apple?
I like my new iphone 4 and I am pretty sure I would hate the Droid X with its curves and chins
So, the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone on the market...
...but you can't hold it, look at it without seeing spots and lines, or drop it by accident...
...and there are lines for this thing?!
@Matt da Brat
You don't own one, and I do. Mine doesn't have any yellow spots, my reception is fine, I haven't dropped mine because I'm not a ham fisted clumsy monkey man, and you're full of shit.
Also: It's not going to break if you drop it. If you had been paying attention (you weren't, obviously), you would have seen that it took multiple attempts, all designed to make it fall perfectly flat, before it actually broke.
For one thing, it's never going to fall perfectly flat. For another, it obviously doesn't just break when you drop it. You would have to be some kind of idiot to ignore the evidence like that. Third, nobody at Apple ever said the iPhone was unbreakable, indestructible, or scratch proof. You need to stop beating that nonexistent dead horse.
Seriously, grow a brain.
@Jack "I haven't dropped mine because I'm not a ham fisted clumsy monkey man, and you're full of shit.
Also: It's not going to break if you drop it. If you had been paying attention (you weren't, obviously), you would have seen that it took multiple attempts, all designed to make it fall perfectly flat, before it actually broke."
You should tell that to this guy: http://gizmodo.com/5571658/first-iphone-4-broken-after-one+foot-drop
@Matt da Brat
Really? Gizmodo? Yeah, it's not like they have an axe to grind with Apple or anything. I don't trust a word they write, and you shouldn't either. They also failed to mention if the phone landed on a rock or in fact what specifically it landed on.
And then there's the likely possibility that they're lying about the whole thing and they actually hit it with a hammer. Or maybe they're just magic because they got it to break from a shorter distance and with less effort than other people who have TRIED to break it. Does that seem likely to you? That they're just magic?
But if you're really worried about it, here's some advice: Don't drop it. That goes for any phone, not just this one. Or any electronic device. If you're some sort of dropsy-afflicted greasy-handed monkey, then buy a case for it to protect it from your own incompetence.
@Jack Maybe I should've linked to the guy's blog instead of the Gizmodo story.
Maybe you'll start to believe it a little more when other people start posting pictures of their cracked iPhones.
The overall design is terrible. This is what happens when form is more important that function.
Apple has a large set of real problems on their hands. The biggest question is if zealots like you will keep the device or if it will get returned.
@Jack You are a monkey, because you bought into Jobs' bullshit and bout a stupid phone that has many flaws, unlike what Jobs said right before it came out.
Used to see this on my Pre. It's a heat issue; those spots will come back every time the phone heats up. That's why some people are seeing them come and go.
well that's a relief.. I was scared for my phone there for a sec.. Good thing everything's all good.
Hey,
Picked up my iPhone a few hours ago in Londons, Regent Street Apple Retail Store.
I am seeing two of these yellow spots one on top of the other both on the bottom right hand corner.
I really hope they will go away.
Will be so upset as I already returned the first one within 30 minuets of getting it as there was a lot of dust under the glass layer.
Just got off the phone with Apple. They offered to have me ship the phone to them, leaving me without a phone (bad!) but suggested I might be able to get an advanced replacement - i.e., they ship a new phone to me, I ship my back after receiving it. Another option was, starting tomorrow, they would have phones at the Apple store to offer as replacements. I told her that the yellow appeared to be fading on my phone and so I'd wait until Monday to follow-up and decide whether it was still an issue at that point.
Those're my two bits.
My yellow spot on my iPhone 4 is no longer visible!
After the ay Ive had Im about ready to sell every apple and high end gadget I own - theres always a bloody issue and YES mine has yellow spots. I will give it till the weekend and if there is not improvement I will retunr phone, cancel contract and NEVER be suckered again (sob* sob*)
@jimmy1
....and to think I wasnt gonna buy the iphone 4 but there I was queueing at 7am, then ringing round, driving here there and everywhere to end up with a duff.
You really think its possible that these phones were shipped so fast from the factory at the screen assembly station that the residue didn't dry? Were they assembled yesterday or something? I design assembly equipment and there is no way they would ever let us box up a device before the glue had dried or it had been tested/inspected. RIDICULOUS. If apple is really boxing and shipping these units for immediate purchase with residue still wet and leaking without testing to make sure it dissolved or dried, someone needs to be fired.
Organofunctional Silane Z-6011? WTF? Who makes up these names?
t-minus 1 day till iPhone, and please don't have a yellow spot.
I can 100% confirm that the yellow dots disappear with use...I had yellow dots about 1/2 inch away from the home button... I turned off auto lock and let it sit for a few hours..When i looked at it again all the yellow dots were completely gone! Lets just hope they dont come back. on another note apple had no idea what the dots were but were more than willing to replace it immediately.
Looks like the Apple Insider poster probably works for Dow Corning (if he and what he's saying are legit,)
some info on the product:
http://www.latinquimicasrl.com.ar/pdf/Dow%20Corning%20Z-6011%20Silane.pdf
AND YES, IT IS DANGEROUS:
http://www1.dowcorning.com/DataFiles/090007b281429d40.pdf