Ok, so it’s not the Ebola virus or the Black Plague, it’s more of a nuisance than a death sentence, but the ‘touch disease’ of Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus is still a big deal! The 6 Plus smartphones are suffering from a hardware malfunction that renders the touchscreen useless. The widely reported problem is known as ‘touch disease’ and Apple has launched a repair programme. Here’s the catch though – it’ll cost you $149 for Apple to fix your iPhone 6 Plus. That isn’t cheap, so is it worth the cost to repair? And what are the odds of your iPhone 6 Plus contracting the ‘disease’ in the first place? Let’s take a closer look at the problem and the solution.
THE FAULT
Let’s face it, this may not be a disease that infects our body, but our cell phones are so valuable to us these days they might as well be extensions of our own fingers. And if your fingers are holding an iPhone 6 Plus you’re going to want a cure for this ‘disease’, so you can go on living your digital life. The cause of the fault is the placement of the touchscreen controller chip. Several rough knocks can dislodge this chip and make the phone’s touchscreen gradually unresponsive. Eventually, all that will be visible is a thin grey line at the top the display.
THE FIX
In their own words, Apple has agreed that displays on certain 6 Plus smartphones flicker or become unresponsive if they are dropped several times on a hard surface. Apple will fix the problem, but only if the phone is in working order. In other words, if your 6 Plus has a cracked or broken screen, you are not eligible for the repair programme, and you are up a certain creek without a certain paddle.
THE FEE
Now you could say that the problem is Apple’s and that they should fix it for free. And you wouldn’t be alone. Some experts have said that it is Apple’s responsibility to fix the fault regardless of blame or the age of the phone, and they criticise the tech giant for charging people US$149 for the privilege. This is, of course, on top of the circa $5-600 their customers have already spent on buying the 6 Plus in the first place. Many people think that Apple should absorb the cost of the fix, or lower the repair cost to something more palatable. In addition, there are pages and pages of dissatisfied 6 Plus owners on the Apple support site complaining about the fault.
To fix it or not to fix it (and get a new phone), that is the question many iPhone 6 Plus users are asking themselves.
If you’re suffering from a bad case of information withdrawal, the cure is to follow the Repair Express blog for all the latest news and gossip in the tech world. And as for screen replacements, water damage, unlocking and custom modifications for smartphones, tablets, and touch screen phones – Fix My Touch is the best in mobile device repair, matching the highest quality with affordable prices and a can’t-be-beat warranty.
