Owners of the new foldable iPhone are reporting cracks in the device’s screen, as Apple confirmed an issue with a “small number” of units.
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Apple → report → units
Reports of cracks have emerged on Reddit and social media platforms since the handset went on general sale globally on Friday.
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handset → emerge → Friday
Experts said there had been too few examples to determine whether there was a more serious problem with Apple’s first foldable device, which retails from $1,999 (£1,499).
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which → say → 1,999
Apple confirmed some devices had been affected by a display glitch.
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devices → confirm → glitch
“We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units.
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We → impact → units
If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement,” it said.
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it → experience → replacement
One user in Australia reported that their Duo had cracked within six hours of taking ownership of it and posted their experience on Reddit.
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Duo → report → Reddit
“I was showing it to a friend, and as I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen,” they wrote alongside an image of the phone showing an apparent display malfunction where a white strip of light ran along one half of the screen.
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strip → show → screen
“As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge.
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screen → continue → hinge
They said their local Apple store had replaced the phone immediately.
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store → say → phone
The Guardian has been unable to verify the user’s claims.
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Guardian → verify → claims
Another user in Australia posted that they had heard “almost a cracking noise” on their handset, which resulted in a similar screen malfunction.
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which → post → malfunction
A report by the Bloomberg news service also highlighted similar issues among users in the US and India.
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report → highlight → US
Apple believes the affected units are showing defects quickly after use.
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units → believe → use
It said the response from early users had been “incredibly positive”.
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response → say → users
The company said demand had been “nothing short of extraordinary” for the iPhone Duo, its most high-profile product launch under the company’s new chief executive, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook in September.
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who → say → September
The device has sold out and the next round of shipments is not expected until January, according to a report in the Economic Daily, a publication based in Taiwan, the home country of Foxconn, Apple’s main device manufacturer.
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round → sell → Foxconn
Francisco Jeronimo, the vice-president of data and analytics at IDC, a tech research company, said it was too early to tell whether the screen issue was significant.
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issue → say → IDC
“This is quite common when a new product comes to market,” he said.
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he → come → market
Citing similar problems at Samsung in 2019, he said: “What matters now is how the company responds …
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company → cite → 2019
Samsung experienced problems with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, but it also showed that a fast and transparent response can contain the damage to a category.
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response → experience → category
“Apple said that any customer with problems should ask for a replacement, which is the right first step.”
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which → say → replacement
Ben Wood, the chief analyst at the research firm CCS, said he was taking a very cautious view of the Duo screen problem and that there was as yet no evidence of a more widespread issue with the device.
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he → say → device
The Aporia
