Apple confirms iPhone Duo problem. What will it do next?

Apple has responded to recent reports complaining that iPhone Duo displays have become damaged in normal use. The company is “aware” of the issue and suggests any of the “small number” of customers who encounter the problem contact AppleCare for a replacement.

Apple acknowledges the issue

While the matter has already been widely reported citing unsubstantiated claims on social media, this is the first credible confirmation of the problem. In making it, Apple took pains to explain the problem does not impact all iPhone Duo units, just a small subset of them. “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units,” the company said. 

Reports say that cracks appear in the same place on the iPhone Duo: along the center of the hinge, often followed by a bright line of stuck pixels. Several owners report the cracks appearing after only a handful of openings.

What Apple will do now

I imagine that what is happening now is that Apple is gathering intelligence as damaged units are returned to AppleCare. It will seek to understand the nature of the problem, which it will then attempt to trace through its manufacturing process in order to identify the source. Speculatively, the cause could be something as simple as a misaligned tool on the production line, though the fact that the problem doesn’t impact every iPhone Duo suggests it is not necessarily inherent to the design of the product.

If I’m right and Apple has identified the problem as a manufacturing issue, then Apple representatives will be in crisis contact with their suppliers to track the problem down and resolve it. That’s going to mean a little lost production while factory production lines are checked and verified, and whatever problem is causing these faults is hopefully resolved.

Production challenges and teardowns

Either way, Apple is unlikely to be in position to clarify the nature of the problem immediately pending further investigation of returned devices. Unless, that is, it is connected to one of the production challenges it faced when it began manufacturing the device. We’ve seen multiple reports claiming the yield of good devices was quite low. Was this the problem? Apple hasn’t said.

iFixit’s iPhone Duo teardown speculates that a hinge or other component getting stuck when the device folds may be the cause. “The damage we’re seeing in photos isn’t right where the display cable passes through the hinge, but slightly lower, at a point where several edges meet and change how the thin display is supported as it bends,” they wrote. They also said the iPhone Duo is the most repairable folding smartphone they’ve seen so far.

What happens next? 

That’s up to Apple, but with the company preparing to launch the iPhone Duo in 28 more nations at the end of the week, its response needs to be public, visible, and credible. 

“We all remember when 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,” said IDC VP Worldwide Devices Francisco Jeronimo in a note shared with Computerworld.

Offering a free replacement for affected devices is the right first step. “At $1,999, Apple is positioning the Duo as a premium alternative to established foldables, and how it handles this first-generation issue will shape buyer confidence in the category well beyond its own sales,” Jeronimo said. 

“Apple has a loyal customer base and a retail network that can swap devices on the spot, but with a further 28 markets launching on 30 October, it needs to clarify its warranty position quickly,” he said.

A first firefight for Ternus

However, while Apple has confirmed there is a problem impacting some devices, the vast majority of the millions of iPhone Duo smartphones now in use don’t seem to be succumbing to it. Nonetheless, Apple’s new product-focused leader, CEO John Ternus, now has a firefight on his hands.

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